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Olcott 

The  took  of  elves  and  fairies  for 
stor} -telling  and  reading  aloud... 


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NORTH  CAROLU* 

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MAR  2  4  1977 


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THE  BOOK  OP  ELVES 
AND  FAIRIES 


THIS  IS  MAB,  THE  MISTRESS  FAIRY"  (page  209) 


THE  BOOK  OF 
ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

FOR  STORY-TELLING  AND  READING  ALOUD 
AND  FOR  THE  CHILDREN'S  OWN  READING 

BY 
FRANCES  JENKINS  OLCOTT 

WITH  ILLUSTRATIONS  BY  MILO  WINTEB 


BOSTON  AND  NEW  YORK 

HOUGHTON  MIFFLIN  COMPANY 

<$te  ttitotrffte  pxt0  Cambridge 


COPYRIGHT,    1918,   BY   FRANCES  JENKINS  OLCOTT 
ALL    RIGHTS    RESERVED 

Published  October  iqi8 


Library  0f 

North  Carolina 


3^8 


TO 
THEODORE  OLCOTT  PHILLIPS 

'Good  luck  befriend  thee,  son;  for,  at  thy  birth, 
The  FAIRY  LADIES  danced  upon  the  hearth; 
The  drowsy  nurse  hath  sworn  she  did  them  spy 
Come  tripping  to  the  room,  where  thou  didst  lie, 
And  sweetly  singing  round  about  thy  bed 
Strew  all  their  blessings  on  thy  sleeping  head!" 

MILTON 


FOREWORD 

Let  a  child  open  the  covers  of  this  book,  and 
straightway  he  is  in  that  land  of  all  delights  — 
Fairy  Realm.  Here  Fairy  Godmothers  reward 
good  children,  and  punish  bad  ones;  here  red- 
capped  Little  Men  yield  up  their  treasures  of  gold 
and  magic  gifts,  while  Pixies  drop  silver  pennies 
in  water-pails,  and  merry  Spriggans  and  Fays 
hold  nightly  revels  in  the  moonlight.  Here,  too, 
a  child  may  dance  in  Fairy  Rings,  or  hie  away 
to  Elfinland  for  a  year  and  a  day  to  play  with 
wonder-children,  pick  Fairy  flowers,  listen  to 
Fairy  birds,  and  be  fed  on  magic  goodies. 

Old  favourites  like  "Cinderella,"  "Toads  and 
Diamonds,"  and  "Robin  Goodfellow,"  may 
charm  the  little  reader,  or  other  delightful  tales, 
new  to  most  children,  such  as  "Butterfly's  Dia- 
mond" and  "Timothy  Tuttle  and  the  Little 
Imps,"  will  fascinate  as  much  as  do  the  older 
tales.  Stories  are  here  from  all  lands  where  Fair- 
ies thrive  —  Elfin-lore,  legends,  myths,  and  won- 
der-tales from  China,  Japan,  the  South  Seas, 
England,  Ireland,  Wales,  Cornwall,  and  Red 
Indian  land,  and  from  many  other  Elfin-haunted 
spots. 


Vlll 


FOREWORD 


And  every  story  is  about  "Fairies  black,  grey, 
green,  and  white,"  and  every  one  has  been  se- 
lected for  delightful  humour,  fancy,  or  ethical 
teaching.  Nearly  all  have  been  retold  to  meet 
the  needs  of  story-tellers  and  to  please  the  chil- 
dren. As  far  as  possible  the  language  of  the 
originals  has  been  retained  and  elements  that  will 
terrify  little  children  or  teach  them  that  wrong 
is  right,  have  been  eliminated.  The  French  tales 
—  all  but  one  —  have  been  freshly  translated. 

A  subject  index  is  appended  to  aid  the  story- 
teller in  choosing  stories  dealing  with  specific 
subjects,  such  as  fruits,  flowers,  seasons,  holidays, 
trees,  also  with  moral  qualities  like  obedience, 
thrift,  honesty,  and  truth-telling. 

To  impart  true  Fairy  spirit  as  well  as  literary 
flavour,  many  famous  Fairy  poems  by  Shake- 
speare, Ben  Jonson,  Michael  Drayton,  and  other 
poets  are  included;  so  that  the  volume  forms  a 
collection  of  the  best  Fairy  literature,  not  merely 
planned  to  give  the  children  joy,  but  to  be  of 
real  educational  value. 

"But  of  what  possible  educational  value  are 
Fairy  tales?"  asks  the  practical  parent  or 
teacher. 

They  are  essential  in  the  right  development  of 
a  child's  mind.  They  embody  the  poetic  fancy  of 
the  race.  They  stimulate  a  child's  imagination, 
feed  his  fancy,  and  satisfy  poetically  his  groping 


FOREWORD  ix 

after  things  unseen.  His  craving  for  such  tales 
is  due  to  a  normal  growth  of  mind.  If  he  be  de- 
prived of  Fairy  tales  in  childhood,  he  is  likely,  as 
an  adult,  to  lack  the  creative  imagination  which 
makes  big-visioned  men  and  women,  and  leads 
to  success  in  literature,  art,  invention,  or  in  the 
practical  things  of  business  life.  There  are,  of 
course,  children  who  do  not  like  Fairy  tales,  but 
they  are  few  and  far  between,  and  other  forms  of 
literature  may  be  found  which  will,  in  part,  help 
to  develop  their  peculiar  type  of  mentality.  But 
Fairy  tales  are  the  heritage  of  the  normal  child, 
and  if  he  be  judiciously  fed  on  them,  in  later  life 
he  will  have  a  more  plastic  imagination  and  be 
able  to  enjoy  more  fully  the  beauties  of  great 
poetry  and  other  fine  literature. 

Robert  Burns  said  in  a  letter  to  Dr.  Moore 
that  in  his  infant  and  boyish  days  he  owed  much 
to  an  old  woman  who  lived  in  his  family;  for 
her  tales  of  Brownies,  and  Fairies,  and  other  won- 
ders "cultivated  the  latent  seeds  of  poetry"  in 
the  poet's  mind.  And  even  the  grave  Luther 
said,  "I  would  not  for  any  quantity  of  gold  part 
with  the  wonderful  tales  which  I  have  retained 
from  my  earliest  childhood,  or  have  met  with  in 
my  progress  through  life." 

Charles  Lamb,  and  Coleridge  too,  believed 
heartily  in  Fairy  tales.  "Ought  children  to  be 
permitted   to    read    romances,    and   stories   of 


x  FOREWORD 

Giants,  Magicians,  and  Genii?"  asked  Coleridge*. 
"I  know  all  that  has  been  said  against  it;  but  I 
have  formed  my  faith  in  the  affirmative.  I  know 
no  other  way  of  giving  the  mind  a  love  of  the 
Great  and  the  Whole.  ...  I  read  every  book 
that  came  in  my  way  without  distinction,  and 
my  father  was  fond  of  me  and  used  to  take  me 
on  his  knee,  and  hold  long  conversations  with 
me.  I  remember  when  eight  years  old  walking 
with  him  one  winter  evening,  .  .  .  and  he  then 
told  me  the  names'  of  the  stars,  and  how  Jupiter 
was  a  thousand  times  larger  than  our  world,  and 
that  the  other  twinkling  stars  were  suns  that  had 
worlds  rolling  round  them;  and  when  I  came 
home  he  showed  me  how  they  rolled  round.  I 
heard  him  with  a  profound  delight  and  admira- 
tion, but  without  the  least  mixture  of  wonder  or 
incredulity.  For  from  my  early  reading  of  Fairy 
tales  and  about  Genii,  and  the  like,  my  mind 
had  been  habituated  to  the  Vast;  and  I  never  re- 
garded my  senses  in  any  way  as  the  criteria  of  my 
belief." 

Such,  then,  is  the  educational  mission  of  the 
Fairy  tale,  not  only  to  give  pure  joy,  but  to  en- 
large the  mind.  And  as  childhood  is  the  only 
time  when  this  miracle  takes  place  in  its  com- 
pleteness, every  child  who  so  desires  should  be 
allowed  to  wander  at  will  in  the  land  of  imagina- 
tive delights,  where  the  King  of  Fairy  Poets, 


FOREWORD  xi 

Shakespeare,  loved  to  wander  as  a  child  and  as  a 
man.  In  "The  Plea  of  the  Midsummer  Fairies" 
that  benign  shape  answers  grisly  Time  who  would 
cut  down  "all  the  assembled  Fays":  — 

"  These  be  the  'pretty  Genii  of  the  flow' rs, 
Daintily  fed  with  honey  and  pure  dew  — 
Midsummer's  'phantoms  in  her  dreaming  hours. 
King  Oberon,  and  all  his  merry  crew, 
The  darling  puppets  of  romance's  view; 
Fairies,  and  Sprites ,  and  Goblin  Elves  we  call  them, 
Famous  for  patronage  of  lovers  true;  — 
No  harm  they  act,  neither  shall  harm  befall  them9 
So  do  not  thus  with  crabbed  frowns  appall  them. 

"Likewise  to  them  are  Poets  much  beholden 
For  secret  favours  in  the  midnight  glooms; 
Brave  Spenser  quaff  'd  out  of  their  goblets  golden, 
And  saw  their  tables  spread  of  prompt  mushrooms, 
And  heard  their  horns  of  honeysuckle  blooms 
Sounding  upon  the  air,  most  soothing  soft, 
Like  humming  bees  busy  about  the  brooms,  — 
And  glanced  this  fair  Queen's  witchery  full  oft, 
And  in  her  magic  wain  soared  far  aloft. 

**  'Twos  they  first  school' d  my  young  imagination 
To  take  Us  flights  like  any  new-fledged  bird, 
And  show'd  the  span  of  wingSd  meditation 
Stretched  wider  than  things  grossly  seen  or  heard. 
With  sweet  swift  Ariel  how  I  soar'd  and  stirred 
The  fragrant  blooms  of  spiritual  bow'rsl 
*T  was  they  endear' d  what  I  have  still  preferr'd, 
Nature's  blest  attributes  and  balmy  pow'rs, 
Her  hills  and  vales  and   brooks,  sweet  birds    and 
flow'rst" 


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

Special  acknowledgment  is  here  made  to  the 
Saturday  Magazine  of  the  New  York  Evening  Post 
for  use  of  many  stories  included  in  this  volume, 
which  I  have  written  for  its  columns. 

Grateful  acknowledgment  is  due  also  to  the  fol- 
lowing publishers  for  material  from  their  books : — 

To  Messrs.  Houghton  Mifflin  Company,  for 
"The  Sick-Bed  Elves,"  from  Strange  Stories  from 
the  Lodge  of  Leisures,  by  George  Soulie ;  "  The 
Brown  Dwarf  of  Riigen,"  by  John  Greenleaf 
Whittier;  "The  Immortal  Fountain,"  and  "A 
Little  Knight  and  Little  Maid,"  by  Lucy  Larcom. 

To  Messrs.  E.  P.  Dutton  &  Co.,  for  "Little 
Niebla,"  from  The  Purple  Land,  by  W.H.  Hudson. 

Thanks  are  due  to  Mrs.  Anna  Todd  Paddock 
for  "  Timothy  Tuttle  and  the  Little  Imps,"  and  to 
Miss  Julia  Fish  for  the  French  stories  specially 
translated  for  this  volume. 

F.  J.  O. 


CONTENTS 

THE  FAIRIES'  STORY  HOUR 

"  'T  is  the  Hour  of  Fairy  Ban  and  Spell," 
Joseph  Rodman  Drake 2 

Come!  Come!  to  the  Fairies'  Story  Hour!  .      3 

PART  ONE 

FAIRY-LORE  AND  ELFIN  LEGENDS 

AROUND!  AROUND!  IN  FAIRY  RINGS! 

"In  the  Glowing  Light  of  a  Summer  Sky," 
William  Jones 8 

Adventures  of  Robin  Goodfellow,  Old  Eng-  _ 
lish 9 

The  Potato  Supper,  Irish 15 

The  Milk- White  Calf  and  the  Fairy  Ring, 
Irish 20 

The  Wood-Lady,  Bohemian 26 

The  Dance  of  the  Fairies,  From  The  Maydes 
Metamorphosis  (1600) 32 

ELFIN  MOUNDS  AND  FAIRY  HILLS 

**  T  is  the  Midnight  Hour"    ... 


Monday!  Tuesday!  Irish       .... 
The  Greedy  Old  Man,  Cornish   . 
Legend  of  Bottle  Hill,  Irish     . 
The  Brown  Dwarf,  John  Greenleaf  Whittier 


35 
39 
44 
53 


xvi  CONTENTS 

LITTLE  MEN  AND  TREASURES  OF  GOLD 

"And  will  you  come  away,  my  Lad?"    .      .    62 

The  Boy  who  found   the  Pots  of  Gold, 
Irish 63 

The  Ragweed,  Irish 66 

The  Bad  Boy  and  the  Leprechaun,  Irish     .     70 

Tom  and  the  Knockers,  Cornish       ...     73 

The  Knockers'  Diamonds,  Cornish   .      .      .77 

Skillywidden,  Cornish 79 

The    Leprechaun,    or    Fairy    Shoemaker, 
William  Allingham 84 

GLAD  LITTLE,  SAD  LITTLE,  BAD  LITTLE 
ELVES 

"Saint  Francis  and  Saint  Benedict,"  Wil- 
liam Cartwright  (1635?)        .       .     '-.       .       .90 

Little  Redcap,  Irish 91 

The  Curmudgeon's  Skin,  Irish    ....    97 

Judy  and  the  Fairy  Cat,  Irish   .      .      .      .103 

The  Boggart,  English     .      .      .      .      .      .  105 

Ownself,  English .107 

The  Sick-Bed  Elves,  Chinese      ....  109 

How  Peeping  Kate  was  Piskey-Led,  Cornish  111 

One-Eyed  Prying  Joan's  Tale,  Cornish    .     .  121 

The  Fairy  Folk,  William  Allingham        .       .  128 


FAIRY  SERVANTS  IN  THE  HOUSE 

"Their  Dwellings  be,"  From  the  Hierarchie 
of  the  Blessed  Angells  (1635)  .       .       .  132 

The  Fairy's  Servants,  Basque    ....  133 


CONTENTS  xvii 

The  ViKim' English  .      .      .      .      . ■ ,   .      .138 

The  Brownie  of  Blednoch,  Scottish        .      .  142 

Elsa  and  the  Ten  Elves,  Swedish     .       .       .  145 

Piskey  Fine!  and  Piskey  Gay!  Cornish  .      .  149 

The  Fairy  Wedding,  Swedish      .       .      .       .151 

The  Tomts,  Swedish 155 

Song  of  the  Elfin  Miller,  Allan  Cunning- 
ham        157 

FAYS  OF  WATER,  WOOD,  AND  MEADOW 

"Over  Hill,  over  Dale,"  Shakespeare    .       .  160 

Kintaro  the  Golden  Boy,  Japanese      .       .  161 

The  Flower  FAmiEs,  Chinese      ....  166 

The  Fairy  Island,  Cornish 169 

The  Four-Leaved  Clover,  Cornish   .      .       .171 

The  Gillie  Dhu,  Scottish 174 

How  Kahukura  learned  to  make  Nets,  New 
Zealand 176 

Echo,  the  Cave  Fairy,  From  the  Island  of 
Mangaia 179 

The  Isles  of  the  Sea  Fairies,  Mary  Howitt  182 

AWAY!  AWAY!  TO  FAIRYLAND 

"But  we  that  live  in  Fairyland,"  Old  Bal- 
lad   188 

The  Magic  Ferns,  Cornish 189 

The  Smith  and  the  Fairies,  Scottish        .      .  194 

The  Coal-Black  Steed,  English        .      .       .  198 

The  Girl  who  was  stolen  by  the  Fairies, 
Irish 201 


xviii  CONTENTS 

The  Girl  who  danced  with  the  Fairies,  Irish  203 

Elidore  and  the  Golden  Ball,  Welsh    .       .  206 

At  the  Court  of  Fairyland,  Selections  from 
Ben  Jonson,  Michael  Drayton,  Joseph  Rod- 
man Drake,  Shakespeare,  and  Old  Ballads       .  209 

PART  TWO 

FAIRY  STORIES 

FAIRY  GODMOTHERS  AND  WONDERFUL 
GIFTS 

"Rap!  Rap!  Rap!" 220 

Cinderella,  Charles  Perrault        .       .       .       'J221 

Sleeping  Beauty  in  the  Wood,  Charles  Perrault  231 

Prince  Cheri,  Madame  Le  Prince  de  Beaumont  239 

Toads  and  Diamonds,  Charles  Perrault     .       .  254 

Blanche  and  Rose,  Madame  Le  Prince  de 
Beaumont 258 

The  Enchanted  Watch,  Jean  Mace         .       .  264 

Queen  Mab,  Thomas  Hood 276 

FAIRY  ADVENTURES 

"A  Little  Knight  and  Little  Maid,"  Lucy 
Larcom 280 

Fairy  Do-Nothing  and  Giant  Snap-'Em-Up, 
Catherine  Sinclair 281 

Timothy  Tuttle  and  the  Little  Imps, 
Dr.  John  Todd 290 

Butterfly's  Diamond,  Lydia  Maria  Child     .  304 

Little  Niebla,  W.  H.  Hudson     ....  312 


CONTENTS  xix 

Little  Tiny,  Hans  Christian  Andersen      .      .  319 

The  Immortal  Fountain,  Lydia  Maria  Child  337 

The  Story  of  Childe  Charity,  Frances  Browne  348 

The  Shining  Child  and  the  Wicked  Mouche, 
Adapted .       .361 

Mabel  on  Midsummer  Day,  Mary  Howitt      .  400 

FAREWELL!  FAREWELL!  DEAR  FAIRIES 

"Oh!  where  do  Fairies  hide  their  Heads?" 
Thomas  Haynes  Bayly 412 

The  Fairies'  Passage,  James  Clarence  Mangan  413 

Old  Winter's  Fairyland,  Anonymous     .      .  418 

Subject  Index  for  Story-tellers     .      .      .  423 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

"This  is  Mab,  the  Mistress  Fairy"      Frontispiece 

"Dermod  gazed  at  them  in  wonder"        .      .     18 

"She  saw  a  whole  troop  of  Spriggans  holding 
an  Elfin  Fair" 118 

"Childe  Charity  came  out  and  asked  the  old 
woman  to  take  her  share  of  the  supper"  .  350 


THE  FAIRIES'  STORY  HOUR 


*T  is  the  hour  of  Fairy  ban  and  spell; 
The  wood-tick  has  kept  the  minutes  well; 
He  has  counted  them  all  with  click  and  strokey 
Deep  in  the  heart  of  the  mountain  oak, 
And  he  has  awakened  the  sentry  Elve 

Who  sleeps  with  him  in  the  haunted  tree, 
To  bid  him  ring  the  hour  of  twelve, 

And  call  the  Fays  to  their  revelry; 
Twelve  small  strokes  on  his  tinkling  bell  — 
('Twos  made  of  the  white  snail's  pearly  shell:  — ) 
Midnight  comes,  and  all  is  well! 
Hither,  hither,  wing  your  way ! 
9T  is  the  dawn  of  the  Fairy  day." 

Joseph  Rodman  Deake 


COME!  COME! 
TO  THE  FAIRIES'  STORY  HOUR! 

IN  THE  MOONLIT  MEADOW 

Fairies!  Fairies  everywhere!  Hear  them  come! 
See  them  come  in  the  pale  moonlight  to  this 
lovely  meadow!  They  rush  through  the  air;  they 
throng  from  the  wood;  they  spring  up  from  the 
ground;  they  peep  from  the  flowers  and  leaves. 
They  are  all  hastening  to  the  Fairies'  Story  Hour. 
The  Midsummer  moon  is  shining,  shining;  while 
the  Midsummer  breeze  is  swaying,  swaying  the 
harebells,  lilies,  and  grasses. 

Laughter!  whisper!  Laughter!  whisper!  See, 
through  the  air  comes  gliding  a  whole  host  of 
radiant  little  Fairies.  They  poise  lightly  on  their 
silvery  wings,  and  float  down  to  the  harebells 
and  lilies.  They  flicker  over  the  meadow  like 
gay  butterflies.  Laughter!  whisper! 

Hum!  whirr!  Hum!  whirr!  What  is  that  noise 
in  the  tree-tops?  From  among  the  dark  leaves 
fly  hundreds  and  hundreds  of  broad-backed  bee- 
tles, bumping  and  thumping  each  other.  They  are 
followed  by  a  silent  cloud  of  bats,  that  wheel  and 
whirl,  and  flap  their  leathery  wings.  And  to  the 
back  of  every  beetle  and  every  bat  clings  a 


4        BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

tiny  roguish  Elf  peeping  down  at  the  meadow 
below. 

Rap!  tack!  tack!  Rap!  tack!  tack!  From  be- 
hind each  tree-trunk  steps  a  little  Leprechaun  as 
big  as  your  thumb.  They  are  the  Fairy  Shoe- 
makers. Their  long  beards  and  red  caps  wag  in 
the  moonlight;  and  the  little  men  smile  and 
chuckle  to  themselves,  for  well  they  know  where 
the  pots  of  Fairy  Gold  are  hidden.  Near  them, 
peering  from  behind  stones  and  bushes,  are  the 
Curmudgeons,  rolling  their  mischievous  eyes. 

Skip!  skip!  Knock!  knock!  What  have  we 
here?  From  out  of  the  earth  pours  a  swarm  of 
little  Spriggans  and  Pixies  gaily  dressed,  and 
Knockers  with  their  tiny  hammers  in  their  tiny 
hands.  They  have  left  the  meadows  and  moors; 
they  have  left  the  mines  of  tin  and  copper,  and 
the  diamond  caves,  to  come  to  the  Fairies'  Story 
Hour.  How  they  hustle,  how  they  bustle,  out  of 
the  earth! 

Gallop-a-trot!  Gallop-a-trot!  What  comes  from 
the  wood?  A  long  line  of  prancing  goats  and 
house-cats !  And  on  the  back  of  each  is  a  House- 
Elf,  to  be  sure!  The  Brownies,  the  Boggarts,  the 
Tomts,  the  Piskeys,  are  all  there.  They  have 
left  their  snug  corners  in  human  homes;  they 
have  left  cellars,  barns,  and  threshing-floors;  they 
have  left  bowls  of  clubbered  cream  on  warm 
hearthstones,  to  come  to  the  Fairies'  Story  Hour. 


THE  FAIRIES'  STORY  HOUR  5 

And  who  is  this  that  lights  their  way  with  a 
Will-o'-the-Wisp  lantern?  'Tis  Robin  Good- 
fellow,  freakish  Elf!  Ho!  Ho!  Ho! 

Sing!  cling!  Sing!  cling!  What  are  these  that 
come  sailing  through  the  air?  Mother-of-pearl 
boats  with  coral  masts  and  sails  of  sea-lace!  Each 
little  boat  is  crowded  with  Sea-Queens  and  Water- 
Fairies.  Their  green  hair  is  long  and  flowing,  and 
their  robes  are  of  rainbow  spray.  And  near  them, 
astride  frisky  sea-horses,  are  the  Kelpies,  blow- 
ing loudly  on  their  conch-shell  trumpets.  And 
each  Kelpie  is  armed  with  a  shield  of  pearl  and  a 
sword-fish  weapon.  They  have  all  left  the  foam- 
ing green  waves  and  the  pink  coral  palaces  to 
come  to  the  Fairies'  Story  Hour. 

Now!  Listen!  Listen!  The  harebells  and  lilies 
are  ringing  sweet  music,  while  from  meadow 
flowers  and  acorn-cups  and  forest  nuts  tumble 
lazy,  sleepy  Elves  rubbing  their  eyes,  and  hasten- 
ing to  join  the  others  at  the  Fairies'  Story  Hour. 

The  harebells  and  lilies  ring  louder  and  louder. 
And  from  out  the  cool  wood  step  King  Oberon 
and  Queen  Mab,  with  all  their  Fairy  train  that 
glitters  in  the  moonshine  like  a  long  string  of 
jewels. 

The  royal  train  advances  into  the  middle  of 
the  meadow.  The  King  and  Queen  seat  them- 
selves on  a  throne  of  moss.  At  their  left  is  ca- 
pering Puck  mowing  and  mouthing;  at  their  right, 


6        BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

Ariel  the  sweetest  singer.  All  present  bow  them- 
selves before  the  throne. 

See!  Queen  Mab  raises  her  wand,  and  each 
little  Elf  and  Fairy  scurries  and  hurries  to  make 
himself  comfortable.  Some  sway  on  the  blades 
of  grass;  others  climb  the  flower  stalks  and  curl 
up  inside  the  fragrant  blossoms;  while  still  others 
swing  and  rock  in  the  trees,  or  nestle  among  the 
ferns  and  under  toadstool  umbrellas. 

Every  wee  Elf,  and  every  tiny  Fairy,  and  every 
little  Imp,  from  all  the  world  over,  is  here.  In- 
deed, all  the  members  of  the  entire  Fairy  Family 
are  present  except  the  human-sized  ones.  They 
are  too  busy  to  come.  The  Elfin  Princes  are 
searching  cottages  and  palaces  for  mortal  brides 
to  carry  off  to  Fairyland.  The  Elfin  nurses  are 
leaving  Changelings  in  babies'  cradles;  while  the 
Fairy  Godmothers  are  far  away  bestowing  won- 
derful gifts  on  good  children,  and  punishing  bad 
ones. 

Look!  Look!  Queen  Mab  waves  her  wand! 
The  Fairies'  Story  Hour  is  beginning.  All  is 
hushed. 

Listen  now  to  the  Fairy  tales. 


PART  ONE 

FAIRY-LORE  AND  ELFIN  LEGENDS 


Around !  Around !  in  Fairy  Rings 


In  the  glowing  light  of  a  Summer  sky. 

When  the  fields  are  clad  in  green. 
Oft  in  their  midst,  with  a  sunnier  dye, 

May  the  Fairies'  Ring  be  seen! 
'T  is  a  circle  formed  by  the  tiny  feet 

Of  the  Elves,  as  they  dance  around: 
When  the  moon  rides  high  it  is  there  they  meet, 

And  merrily  tread  the  ground! 

William  Jones 


ADVENTURES  OF  ROBIN 
GOODFELLOW 

From  Merry  England 

HOW  ROBIN  GOODFELLOW  WAS  BORN 

Once  upon  a  time,  when  men  did  eat  more  and 
drink  less,  when  men  did  know  no  knavery,  there 
were  wont  to  walk  many  harmless  sprites  called 
Fairies,  dancing  in  brave  order  in  Fairy  Rings 
on  green  hills,  to  sweet  music.  These  sprites 
would  make  themselves  invisible,  and  many  mad 
pranks  would  they  play,  pinching  careless  house- 
maids black  and  blue,  and  turning  ill-kept  houses 
topsy-turvy.  But  lovingly  they  would  use  neat 
housemaids,  giving  them  silver  and  other  pretty 
toys  which  they  left  in  the  maids'  shoes  and 
pockets,  or  in  bright  kitchen  pans. 

Now,  in  those  Fairy  days  there  was  born  on 
earth  a  tiny  Elfin  boy  whom  folk  called  Robin 
Goodfellow.  And  wonderful  were  the  gifts  from 
Fairyland  that  came  to  Robin  when  he  was  a 
baby.  In  his  room  suddenly  would  appear  rich 
embroidered  cushions,  delicate  linen  garments, 
and  all  sorts  of  delicious  things  to  eat  and  drink. 
So  he  was  never  in  want. 

Now,  when  Robin  was  grown  to  six  years,  he 


10      BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

was  so  mischievous  that  the  neighbours  all  com- 
plained of  his  pranks  until  he  was  forced  to  run 
away. 

He  wandered  about  until  he  began  to  get 
hungry;  then,  going  to  a  tailor,  he  took  service 
with  him.  He  remained  there  until  he  grew  so 
mischievous  that  he  was  obliged  to  run  away 
again. 


HOW  HE  RECEIVED  A  MESSAGE  FROM 
FAIRYLAND 

After  he  had  travelled  a  good  day's  journey 
from  the  tailor's  house,  he  sat  down  by  the  way- 
side and,  being  weary,  fell  asleep.  No  sooner  had 
he  closed  his  eyes  than  he  fancied  he  saw  tiny 
beings  tripping  on  the  grass  before  him,  to  the 
sound  of  sweet  music.  And  when  he  awoke,  he 
found,  to  his  surprise,  a  scroll  lying  near  by  on 
which  were  these  verses,  written  in  letters  of 
gold:  — 

"Robin,  my  only  son  and  heir, 
For  food  and  drink  take  thou  no  care. 
Wish  what  thou  unit,  and  thou  shalt  have 
The  power  to  tease  both  fool  and  knave. 
Change  when  thou  wilt  thine  Elfish  shape, 
To  horse,  or  hog,  or  dog,  or  ape; 
And  scare  each  idle  dirty  maid, 
And  make  all  wicked  men  afraid. 
But  love  thou  those  that  honest  be, 
And  help  them  in  necessity. 


ROBIN  GOODFELLOW  11 

"Do  thus,  and  all  the  world  shall  know 
The  pranks  of  Robin  Goodfellow. 
If  thou'lt  observe  my  just  command. 
One  day  thou  shall  see  Fairyland" 

Robin,  having  read  this,  was  very  joyful,  for 
he  perceived  that  he  had  Fairy  power.  He 
straightway  wished  for  something  to  eat,  and  it 
appeared  before  him.  Then  he  wished  himself  a 
horse,  and  no  sooner  did  he  say  so  than  he  became 
a  handsome  colt,  curveting  and  leaping  about. 
He  wished  himself  a  dog,  and  was  one.  After 
that  he  turned  himself  into  any  shape  he  liked. 
Then  taking  his  own  form  again,  he  once  more 
started  on  his  travels. 


OF  HIS  MAD  PRANKS  — HO!  HO!  HO! 

And  from  that  time  forward  many  were  the 
merry  tricks  Robin  played  on  those  he  met. 

Once,  seeing  a  rude  and  clownish  fellow  search- 
ing for  a  lost  horse,  Robin  turned  himself  into  a 
horse,  and  led  the  rude  man  a  chase  over  field 
and  briar,  until  he  allowed  the  man  to  catch  him 
and  mount  his  back.  Then  Robin  jumped  into  a 
stream  and,  turning  into  a  fish,  swam  to  the  shore 
and  ran  away,  laughing,  "Ho !  Ho !  Ho  I " —  leaving 
the  man  to  get  out  of  the  water  as  best  he  could. 

At  night  Robin  often  visited  farmers'  houses, 
and  helped  the  neat  housemaids  with  their  work, 


12      BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

breaking  their  hemp,  dressing  their  flax,  and 
spinning  their  yarn.  One  night  he  came  to  a 
house  where  there  was  a  good  and  handsome 
maid.  And  while  she  slept  Robin  did  her  work, 
more  than  she  could  have  done  in  twelve  hours. 
The  maid  wondered  the  next  morning  to  see  all 
done  so  finely,  and  that  night  she  watched  to 
see  what  would  follow. 

At  twelve  of  the  clock  in  came  Robin  and,  sing- 
ing, fell  to  work  breaking  her  hemp  and  doing  her 
spinning,  and  as  he  worked  he  sang  a  mad  song:  — 

"  Within  and  out,  in  and  out,  round  as  a  ball, 
With  hither  and  thither,  as  straight  as  a  line, 
With  lily  and  germander,  and  sops  of  wine, 
With  sweetbriar, 
And  bonfire, 
And  strawberry  wire, 
And  columbine ! " 

The  maid,  seeing  that  he  had  no  clothes,  pitied 

him,  and  the  next  night  she  laid  out  a  little  suit 

that  she  had  cut  and  sewed  during  the  day. 

Robin,  coming  in,  spied  the  clothes,  whereat  he 

started,  and  said :  — 

"  'T  is  not  your  garments  new  or  old 
That  Robin  loves.  I  feel  no  cold. 
Had  you  left  me  milk  or  cream, 
You  should  have  had  a  'pleasant  dream, 
Because  you  left  no  drop  or  crumb, 
Robin  never  more  will  come." 

And  with  that  he  ran  out  of  the  door,  laughing 
loudly,  "Ho!  Ho!  Ho!" 


ROBIN  GOODFELLOW  13 

And  many  other  mad  pranks  did  Robin  Good- 
fellow  play.  At  times  he  turned  himself  into  a 
will-o'-the-wisp,  misleading  lovers  who  came  over 
the  heath;  at  other  times  he  punished  knaves  and 
idle  maids,  or  rewarded  good  and  worthy  people. 
And  always  he  ran  laughing,  "Ho!  Ho!  Ho!" 


HOW  HE  DANCED  IN  THE  FAIRY  RING 

At  length  Oberon,  King  of  Fairyland,  seeing 
so  many  honest  and  merry  tricks,  called  one 
night  to  Robin  as  he  lay  sleeping  in  the  green- 
wood :  — 

"Robin,  my  son,  come,  quickly  rise! 
First  stretch,  then  yawn,  and  rub  your  eyes. 
For  you  must  go  with  me  to-night 
To  dance  with  Fairy,  Elf,  and  Sprite. 
Come  quickly  now.  my  roguish  son, 
'T  is  time  our  sports  were  well  begun." 

Robin,  hearing  this,  woke  and  rose  hastily,  and, 
looking  about,  saw  in  the  moonlight  King  Oberon, 
and  many  Fairies  with  him  dressed  in  green  silk. 
And  all  these  did  welcome  Robin  Goodfellow  into 
their  company. 

King  Oberon  took  Robin  by  the  hand  and  led 
him  a  dance.  And  near  by  sat  little  Tom  Thumb, 
the  Fairy  piper,  no  bigger  than  a  plum.  His  bag- 
pipe was  made  of  a  wren's  quill  and  the  skin  of 
a  tiny  bug.  This  pipe  made  music  so  shrill  and 
sweet,  that  naught  might  be  compared  to  it. 


14      BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

Then  all  the  Fairies  for  joy  did  circle  Robin 

around,  and  in  a  ring  did  dance  about  him;  and 

Robin  Goodfellow  danced  in  the  midst  of  them, 

and  sang  this  song :  — 

"Quick  and  nimble! 
I  Quick  and  nimble! 

Round  about  little  ones  ! 
In  and  out,  wheel  about, 
Run,  hop,  or  amble! 

"Elves,  Urchins,  Goblins  all,  and  little  Fairies, 
Who  do  pinch  black  and  blue,  idle  maids  in  dairies,  v 
Make  a  ring  on  the  grass,  with  your  quick  measures. 
Tom  shall  play,  and  I  will  sing,  for  all  your  pleasures. 

"Quick  and  nimble! 
Quick  and  nimble! 
Round  about  little  ones! 
In  and  out,  wheel  about, 
Run,  hop,  or  amble!'* 

Thus  they  danced  for  a  good  space,  then  sat 
themselves  down  upon  the  grass,  and  the  Fairies 
told  Robin  of  many  Elfish  tricks  and  merry  ca- 
pers; until,  the  time  passing,  a  shepherd  in  a  field 
near  by  blew  his  pipes  so  loudly  that  he  fright- 
ened little  Tom  Thumb. 

The  Fairies  punished  the  shepherd  by  the  loss 
of  his  pipes,  so  that  they  presently  broke  in  his 
hand,  to  his  great  amazement.  Hereat  Robin 
Goodfellow  laughed,  "Ho!  Ho!  Ho!" 

The  morning  being  come,  at  cock-crow  the 
Fairies  hastened  away  to  Fairyland,  where  I 
think  they  yet  remain. 


THE  POTATO  SUPPER 

From  Ireland 

Some  folk  say  that  the  Little  People,  the  Fairies, 
were  once  angels  that  were  cast  out  of  Heaven 
for  their  sins.  They  fell  to  earth  and  grew  smaller 
and  smaller.  And  to-day  they  dance  on  moonlit 
nights  in  Fairy  Rings,  and  play  all  manner  of 
pranks. 

Be  that  as  it  may,  one  night  a  merry  troop  of 
them  was  capering  in  the  moonshine.  On  a  nice 
green  sward  by  a  river's  bank  the  little  fellows 
were  dancing  hand-in-hand,  with  their  red  caps 
wagging  at  every  bound.  And  so  light  were  their 
feet  that  the  dew  trembled,  but  was  not  dis- 
turbed. So  they  danced,  spinning  around  and 
around,  and  twirling,  and  bobbing,  and  diving, 
until  one  of  them  chirped :  — 

"  Cease  !  Cease  with  your  humming  ! 
Here 's  an  end  to  your  mumming  ! 

By  my  smell 

I  can  tell 
That  a  Priest  is  now  coming!" 

And  away  all  the  Fairies  scampered  as  fast  as 
they  could.  Some  hid  under  the  green  leaves  of 
the  Foxglove,  their  little  caps  peeping  out  like 
crimson  bells.  Others  crept  under  the  shadow 
of  stones,  or  beneath  the  bank  of  the  river. 


16      BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

And  scarcely  had  they  done  so,  when  along 
came  Father  Horrigan  riding  slowly  on  his  pony. 
He  was  thinking  to  himself  that  he  would  end  his 
journey  at  the  first  cabin  he  came  to.  And  so  he 
did,  for  soon  he  stopped  at  the  little  house  of 
Dermod  Leary,  and,  lifting  the  latch,  walked  in 
with:  "A  blessing  on  all  here!" 

And  a  welcome  guest,  you  may  be  sure,  was 
Father  Horrigan,  for  no  man  was  better  loved 
in  all  that  country.  But  when  Dermod  saw  him 
enter,  he  was  troubled,  for  he  had  nothing  to  offer 
for  supper  except  some  potatoes  that  his  wife 
was  boiling  in  a  pot  over  the  fire.  Then  he  re- 
membered that  he  had  set  a  net  in  the  river. 
"There'll  be  no  harm,"  thought  he,  "in  my  step- 
ping down  to  see  if  anything  has  been  caught." 

So  down  to  the  river  went  Dermod.  He  found 
as  fine  a  salmon  in  the  net  as  ever  jumped  from 
water.  But  as  he  was  taking  it  out,  the  net  was 
jerked  from  his  hands,  and  away  the  salmon  went, 
swimming  along  as  though  nothing  had  happened. 

Dermod  looked  sorrowfully  at  the  wake  that 
the  fish  left  shining  like  a  line  of  silver  in  the 
moonlight. 

"May  bitter  luck  attend  you  night  and  day!" 
cried  he,  shaking  his  fist.  "Some  evil  thing  sure 
it  was  that  helped  you,  for  did  I  not  feel  it  pull 
the  net  out  of  my  hand!" 

"You're  all  wrong,  Dermod!    There  were  a 


THE  POTATO  SUPPER  17 

hundred  or  more  of  us  pulling  against  you!" 
squeaked  a  little  voice  near  his  feet,  and  the  whole 
troop  of  Fairies  —  hundreds  and  hundreds  of 
them  —  came  rushing  from  their  hiding-places, 
and  stood  before  him,  their  red  caps  nodding 
violently. 

Dermod  gazed  at  them  in  wonder;  then  one  of 
the  Fairies  said :  — 

"Make  yourself  noways  uneasy  about  the 
Priest's  supper,  Dermod  Leary.  If  you  will  go 
back  and  ask  him  one  question  for  us,  there'll  be 
as  fine  a  supper  spread  before  him  in  no  time,  as 
ever  was  put  on  table." 

"I'll  have  nothing  to  do  with  you  at  all,  at 
all!"  answered  Dermod;  "I  know  better  than  to 
sell  my  soul  to  the  likes  of  you!" 

But  the  little  Fairy  was  not  to  be  repulsed. 
"Will  you  ask  the  Priest  just  one  civil  question 
for  us,  Dermod?"  said  he. 

Dermod  considered  for  a  moment.  "I  see  no 
objection,"  said  he,  "to  the  same.  But  I'll  have 
nothing  to  do  with  your  supper,  mind  that!" 

The  Little  People  all  crowded  near  him,  while 
the  Fairy  answered :  — 

"Go  and  ask  Father  Horrigan  to  tell  us  whether 
our  souls  will  be  saved  at  the  Last  Day.  And,  if 
you  wish  us  well,  Dermod  Leary,  you  will  bring 
the  word  that  he  says." 

Away  went  Dermod  to  his  cabin. 


18      BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

"  Please,  your  reverence,"  said  he  to  Father 
Horrigan,  "may  I  make  bold  to  ask  your  honour 
a  question?" 

"What  is  it?"  said  Father  Horrigan. 
'  "Why,  then,"  said  Dermod,  "will  the  souls  of 
the  Little  People  be  saved  at  the  Last  Day?" 

"Who  bids  you  ask  that  question,  Leary?" 
said  Father  Horrigan,  fixing  his  eyes  sternly  on 
Dermod. 

"I'll  tell  no  lies  about  the  matter,  nothing  in 
life  but  the  truth,"  answered  Dermod.  "  'T  was 
the  Little  People  themselves  who  sent  me.  They 
are  in  thousands  down  on  the  bank  of  the  river 
waiting  for  your  word." 

"Go  back,"  said  Father  Horrigan,  "and  tell 
them  that  if  they  want  to  know  they  must  come 
here  to  me  themselves,  and  I'll  answer  that  and 
any  other  question." 

So  back  Dermod  hurried  to  the  river.  The 
Fairies  came  swarming  around  him.  They  pressed 
close  to  his  feet,  with  faces  upturned  as  they 
anxiously  waited.  And  Dermod,  brave  man  that 
he  was,  spoke  out  boldly  and  gave  them  the 
Priest's  message.  And  when  they  heard  that,  the 
whole  multitude  of  little  Fairies  uttered  shrill 
cries  and  groans;  and  they  whisked  past  Dermod 
in  such  numbers  that  he  was  quite  bewildered. 
Then  in  a  trice  he  found  himself  alone. 

He  went  slowly  back  to  his  cabin.  He  opened 


DERMOD  GAZED  AT  THEM  IN  WONDER 


THE  POTATO  SUPPER  19 

the  door.  The  fire  was  burning  brightly.  The 
candles  were  lighted.  And  good  Father  Horrigan 
was  seated  comfortably  at  the  table,  a  pitcher 
of  new  milk  before  him,  and  a  bit  of  fresh  butter, 
from  Dermod's  cow.  And  Dermod's  wife  was 
handing  him  a  big,  handsome  potato,  whose  white, 
mealy  insides  were  bursting  through  its  skin,  and 
smoking  like  a  hard-ridden  horse  on  a  frosty 
night. 

Dermod  sat  down  at  the  table,  and  began  to 
eat  without  a  word.  And  when  Father  Horrigan 
was  through  the  good  Priest  smacked  his  lips, 
and  said  that  he  had  relished  the  hot  tasty  pota- 
toes, more  than  a  dozen  fat  salmon,  and  a  whole 
Fairy  feast! 


THE  MILK-WHITE  CALF  AND  THE 
FAIRY  RING 

From  Ireland 

In  Tipperary  is  one  of  the  most  singularly  shaped 
hills  in  the  world.  It  has  a  peak  at  the  top  like  a 
conical  nightcap.  On  this  very  peak,  long  years 
ago,  a  herdsman  spent  his  nights  and  days  watch- 
ing the  herd.  Now,  the  hill  was  ancient  Fairy 
ground,  and  the  Little  People  were  angry  that 
the  scene  of  their  light  and  airy  gambols  should 
be  trampled  by  the  rude  hoofs  of  bulls  and  cows. 
The  lowing  of  the  cattle  sounded  sad  in  their 
ears.  So  the  Queen  of  the  Fairies  determined  to 
drive  away  the  herdsman. 

One  night  the  moon  shone  brightly  on  the  hill. 
The  cattle  were  lying  down.  The  herdsman, 
wrapped  in  his  mantle,  was  watching  the  twin- 
kling stars,  when  suddenly  there  appeared  before 
him  a  great  horse  with  the  wings  of  an  eagle,  and 
the  tail  of  a  dragon.  This  beast  hissed  loudly  and 
spat  fire,  and,  while  the  herdsman  was  looking  on, 
half  dead  with  fright,  it  turned  into  a  little  old 
man,  lame  of  leg,  with  a  bull's  head  around  which 
flames  were  playing. 

The  next  moment  the  little  old  man  changed 
into  a  huge  ape,  with  duck's  feet,  and  a  turkey- 


THE  MILK-WHITE  CALF  21 

cock's  tail.  And  then  the  Queen  of  the  Fairies  — 
for  of  course  it  was  she  —  roared,  neighed,  hissed, 
bellowed,  howled,  and  hooted  so  fearfully  that 
the  poor  herdsman  in  terror  covered  his  head 
with  his  mantle.  But  it  was  of  no  use,  for  with 
one  puff  of  wind  she  blew  away  the  fold  of  his 
mantle,  let  him  hold  it  never  so  tightly.  As  for 
the  poor  man,  he  could  not  stir  or  close  his  eyes, 
but  was  forced  to  sit  there  gazing  at  this  terrible 
sight  until  his  hair  lifted  his  hat  half  a  foot  from 
his  head,  and  his  teeth  chattered  so  that  they 
almost  fell  out  of  his  mouth. 

Meanwhile  the  frightened  cattle  scampered 
about  like  mad,  as  if  bitten  by  fleas,  and  so  they 
continued  to  do  until  the  sun  rose.  Then  the 
Fairy  Queen  disappeared. 

Night  after  night,  the  same  thing  happened, 
and  the  cattle  went  mad.  Some  fell  into  pits,  or 
tumbled  into  the  river  and  were  drowned.  By 
and  by,  not  a  herdsman  was  willing  to  tend  the 
cattle  at  night.  The  farmer  who  owned  the  hill 
offered  triple  and  quadruple  wages,  but  not  a 
man  was  found  who  would  face  the  terrors  of  the 
Fairy  Ring.  The  herd  gradually  thinned,  and 
the  Fairies,  on  moonlit  nights,  danced  and  gam- 
bolled as  merrily  as  before,  sipping  dewdrops  from 
acorn-cups,  and  spreading  their  feasts  on  the 
heads  of  mushrooms.  -j 
I   Now,  there  dwelt  in  that  part  of  the  country 


22      BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

a  man  named  Larry  Hoolahan,  who  played  on 
the  pipes  better  than  any  other  player  within 
fifteen  parishes.  A  dashing,  roving  blade  was 
Larry,  and  afraid  of  nothing.  One  day  the 
farmer  met  him,  and  told  him  all  his  misfor- 
tunes. 

"If  that  is  what  ails  you."  said  Larry,  "make 
your  mind  easy.  Were  there  as  many  Fairies  on 
the  hill  as  there  are  potato-blossoms  in  Tipper- 
ary,  I  would  face  them.  It  would  be  a  queer  thing, 
indeed,  if  I,  who  was  never  afraid  of  a  proper  man, 
should  turn  my  back  on  a  Fairy  not  the  bigness 
of  one's  thumb!" 

"Larry,"  said  the  farmer,  "do  not  talk  so  bold, 
for  you  know  not  who  is  hearing  you!  But,  if 
you  make  your  words  good,  and  watch  my  herds 
for  a  week  on  top  of  the  hill,  your  hand  shall  be 
free  of  my  dish  till  the  sun  has  burnt  itself  down 
to  the  bigness  of  a  farthing  rushlight!" 

The  bargain  was  struck,  and  Larry  went  to  the 
hill-top  when  the  moon  was  beginning  to  peep 
over  its  brow.  He  took  his  seat  on  a  big  stone 
under  a  hollow  of  the  hill,  with  his  back  to  the 
wind,  and  pulled  out  his  pipes. 

He  had  not  played  long  when  the  voices  of  the 
Fairies  were  heard  upon  the  blast  like  a  low  stream 
of  music.  Presently  they  burst  into  a  loud  laugh, 
and  Larry  could  plainly  hear  one  say :  — 

"What!  Another  man  upon  the  Fairies'  Ring! 


THE  MILK-WHITE  CALF  23 

Go  to  him,  Queen,* and  make  him  repent  of  his 
rashness!" 

And  away  they  flew,  and  Larry  felt  them  pass 
by  his  face  like  a  swarm  of  midges.  Looking  up 
hastily  he  saw,  between  the  moon  and  him,  a  great 
black  cat,  standing  on  the  very  tip  of  its  claws, 
with  its  back  up,  and  mewing  with  a  voice  like 
a  water-mill. 

Presently  it  swelled  up  toward  the  sky,  and, 
turning  round  on  its  left  hind  leg,  whirled  till  it 
fell  to  the  ground.  Then  it  started  up  in  the 
shape  of  a  salmon  with  a  cravat  round  its  neck, 
and  wearing  a  pair  of  new  top-boots. 

" Go  on,  my  jewel ! "  said  Larry.  "If  you  dance, 
I'll  pipe,"  and  he  struck  up. 

But  the  Queen  of  the  Fairies  —  for  of  course 
it  was  she  —  turned  into  this  and  that  and  the 
other;  but  still  Larry  played  on,  as  well  as  he 
knew  how.  At  last  she  lost  patience,  and  changed 
herself  into  a  calf,  milk-white  as  the  cream  of 
Cork,  and  with  eyes  as  mild  as  those  of  a  loving 
girl. 

She  came  up  gentle  and  fawning,  hoping  to 
throw  him  off  his  guard,  and  then  to  work  him 
some  wrong.  But  Larry  was  not  so  deceived,  for 
when  she  came  near,  dropping  bis  pipes,  he  leaped 
on  her  back. 

Now,  from  the  top  of  the  hill,  as  you  look  west- 
ward, you  may  see  the  broad  river  Shannon,  full 


24      BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

ten  miles  away.  On  this  night  its  waters  shone 
beautifully  under  the  moon,  and  no  sooner  had 
Larry  leaped  on  the  back  of  the  Fairy  Queen 
than  she  sprang  from  the  hill-top,  and  bounded 
clear  at  one  jump,  over  the  Shannon.  It  was 
done  in  a  second;  and,  when  she  alighted  on  the 
distant  bank,  she  locked  up  her  heels,  and  flung 
Larry  on  the  soft  turf. 

No  sooner  was  Larry  thus  planted  than  he 
looked  her  straight  in  the  face,  and  cried  out:  — 

"By  my  word,  well  done!  That  was  not  a  bad 
leap,  for  a  calf!" 

She  gazed  at  him  for  a  moment,  and  then, 
assuming  her  own  shape,  said :  — 

"Larry  Hoolahan,  you  are  a  bold  fellow!  Will 
you  go  back  the  way  you  came?" 

"And  that's  what  I  will!"  said  he,  "if  you'll 
let  me!" 

So  she  changed  to  a  calf  again,  and  Larry  got 
on  her  back.  At  another  bound  they  were  stand- 
ing inside  the  Fairy  Ring. 

Then  the  Queen,  once  more  assuming  her  own 
shape,  addressed  him. 

"You  have  shown  so  much  courage,  Larry 
Hoolahan,"  said  she,  "that  while  you  keep  herds 
on  this  hill,  you  shall  not  be  molested  by  me  or 
mine.  The  day  dawns.  Go  down  to  the  farmer, 
and  tell  him  this.  And,  if  anything  I  can  do  will 
be  of  service  to  you,  ask  and  you  shall  have  it." 


THE  MILK-WHITE  CALF  25 

She  vanished  accordingly,  and  kept  her  word 

in  never  visiting  the  hill  during  Larry's  lifetime; 

but  he  never  troubled  her  with  requests.     He 

piped,  and  ate  and  drank  at  the  farmer's  expense, 

and  roosted  in  the  chimney-corner,  occasionally 

casting  an  eye  on  the  herd.  He  died  at  last;  and 

is  buried  in  a  green  valley  of  pleasant  Tipperary. 

But  whether  the  Fairies  returned  to  the  hill  after 

his  death  is  more  than  I  can  say. 

,0 


THE  WOOD-LADY 

From  Bohemia 

Once  upon  a  time  there  was  a  little  girl  named 
Betty.  Her  mother  was  a  widow  and  very  poor, 
and  owned  only  a  tumble-down  house  and  two 
goats.  Nevertheless,  Betty  was  always  cheerful. 
From  Spring  to  Autumn  she  pastured  the  goats 
in  the  birch  wood.  Every  morning  when  she  left 
home,  her  mother  gave  her  a  little  basket  in 
which  were  a  slice  of  bread  and  a  spindle. 

"My  child,"  she  said,  "work  hard  to-day  and 
fill  the  spindle  before  you  return." 

And,  as  Betty  had  no  distaff,  she  wound  the 
flax  around  her  head,  took  the  basket,  and,  with 
a  skip  and  a  jump,  led  her  goats  to  the  birch  wood. 
There  she  sat  under  a  tree  and  drew  fibres  of  the 
flax  from  her  head  with  her  left  hand,  and  let 
down  the  spindle  with  her  right,  so  that  it  just 
hummed  over  the  ground.  And  all  the  while  she 
sang  merrily,  and  the  goats  nibbled  the  green 
grass. 

When  the  sun  showed  that  it  was  midday  she 
put  aside  her  work,  called  her  goats,  and,  after 
giving  them  each  a  morsel  of  bread,  bounded 
into  the  wood  to  look  for  strawberries.  When  she 
came  back  she  ate  her  fruit  and  bread,  and,  fold- 


THE  WOOD-LADY  27 

ing  her  hands,  danced  and  sang.  The  goats,  enjoy- 
ing themselves  among  the  green  grass,  thought: 
"What  a  merry  shepherdess  we  have!"  After 
her  dance,  she  spun  again.  And  at  evening  she 
drove  her  goats  home,  and  her  mother  never  had 
to  scold  her  for  bringing  the  spindle  back  empty. 

One  lovely  Spring  day,  just  as  Betty  sprang  up 
to  dance,  suddenly  —  where  she  came,  there  she 
came !  —  a  beautiful  maiden  stood  before  her. 
She  wore  a  white  dress  as  thin  as  gossamer,  golden 
hair  flowed  to  her  waist,  and  on  her  head  was  a 
garland  of  wood  flowers.  Betty  was  struck  dumb 
with  astonishment. 

The  maiden  smiled  at  her,  and  said  in  a  very 
sweet  voice:  — 

"Betty,  are  you  fond  of  dancing?" 

When  the  maiden  spoke  so  prettily,  Betty's 
terror  quitted  her,  and  she  answered :  — 

"Oh!  I  should  like  to  dance  all  day!" 

"Come,  then,  let  us  dance  together.  I  wil] 
teach  you,"  said  the  maiden. 

And  she  took  Betty  by  the  waist,  and  began 
to  dance  with  her. 

As  they  circled,  such  delicious  music  sounded 
over  their  heads  that  Betty's  heart  skipped  within 
her.  The  musicians  sat  on  branches  of  the  birches. 
They  were  clad  in  black,  ash-coloured,  and  var- 
iegated coats.  They  were  choice  musicians  who 
had  come  together  at   the  call   of  the  beauti- 


28      BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

ful  maiden  —  nightingales,  larks,  linnets,  gold- 
finches, thrushes,  blackbirds,  and  a  very  skillful 
mocking-bird.  Betty's  cheeks  flamed,  her  eyes 
glittered,  she  forgot  her  task  and  her  goats.  She 
could  only  gaze  at  her  partner,  who  whirled  her 
around  with  the  most  charming  movements,  and 
so  lightly  that  the  grass  did  not  bend  beneath 
her  delicate  weight. 

They  danced  from  noon  till  eve,  and  Betty's 
feet  were  neither  weary  nor  sore.  Then  the  beau- 
tiful maiden  stopped,  the  music  ceased,  and  as 
she  came,  so  she  went,  and  she  vanished  as  if  the 
earth  had  swallowed  her. 

Betty  looked  about.  The  sun  had  set.  She 
clapped  her  hands  to  the  top  of  her  head,  and 
remembered  that  her  spindle  was  by  no  means 
full.  She  took  the  flax  and  put  it  with  the  spindle 
into  her  basket,  and  drove  the  goats  home.  That 
night  her  mother  did  not  ask  to  see  her  work. 

Next  morning  Betty  again  drove  the  goats  to 
pasture.  All  happened  as  before.  Where  she 
came,  there  she  came!  —  and  the  beautiful 
maiden  seized  Betty  by  the  waist,  and  they 
danced  from  noon  till  eve. 

Then  Betty  saw  that  the  sun  was  setting  and 
her  spindle  nearly  empty,  so  she  began  to  cry. 
But  the  maiden  put  her  hands  to  Betty's  head, 
took  off  the  flax,  and  twined  it  round  the  stem  of 
a  slender  birch,  and  began  to  spin.   The  spindle 


THE  WOOD-LADY  29 

just  swung  over  the  ground.  It  grew  fuller  and 
fuller,  and  before  the  sun  set  behind  the  wood, 
all  the  yarn  was  spun.  Giving  the  full  spindle 
into  Betty's  hands,  the  maiden  said:  — 

"Reel  and  grumble  not! 
Reel  and  grumble  noli''' 

And  as  she  came,  so  she  went,  and  she  van- 
ished as  if  the  ground  had  swallowed  her.  Betty 
drove  the  goats  home,  and  gave  her  mother  the 
full  spindle. 

Well,  the  next  day  all  happened  as  before. 
Where  she  came,  there  she  came !  —  and  the 
beautiful  maiden  seized  Betty  by  the  waist,  and 
they  danced  from  noon  to  eve.  Then  the  maiden 
handed  Betty  a  covered  basket,  saying:  — 

"Peep  not,  but  go  home! 
Peep  not,  but  go  home!" 

And  as  she  came,  so  she  went,  and  she  vanished 
as  if  the  ground  had  swallowed  her. 

At  first  Betty  was  afraid  to  peep  into  the  bas- 
ket, but  when  she  was  halfway  home,  she  could 
not  restrain  herself.  She  lifted  the  cover  and 
peeped,  and,  oh !  how  disappointed  she  was  when 
she  saw  that  the  basket  was  full  of  birch  leaves! 
She  began  to  cry,  and  threw  out  two  handfuls 
of  the  leaves,  and  was  going  to  shake  them  all 
out  of  the  basket,  but  she  thought  to  herself: 
"They  '11  make  good  litter  for  the  goats." 


30      BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

When  she  reached  home  her  mother  was  wait- 
ing for  her  at  the  door. 

"What  sort  of  a  spindle  did  you  bring  home  to 
me  yesterday?"  cried  she.  "After  you  left  this 
morning  I  began  to  reel.  I  reeled  and  I  reeled, 
and  the  spindle  remained  full.  One  skein!  two 
skeins !  three  skeins !  and  the  spindle  was  yet  full ! 
*  WThat  evil  spirit  has  spun  you?'  grumbled  I; 
and  at  that  instant  the  yarn  vanished  from  the 
spindle.   Tell  me  the  meaning  of  this." 

So  Betty  confessed  how  she  had  danced  with 
the  beautiful  maiden  who  had  given  her  the  full 
spindle,  and  who  had  said:  "Reel  and  grumble 
not." 

"That  was  a  Wood-Fairy!"  cried  her  mother 
in  astonishment.  "About  noon  in  the  Spring- 
time, the  Wood-Ladies  dance.  Lucky  for  you 
that  she  did  not  tickle  you  to  death !  It 's  a  pity 
that  you  did  not  tell  me  before,  for  I  might  have 
had  a  room  full  of  yarn,  if  I  had  reeled  and  grum- 
bled not." 

Then  Betty  bethought  herself  of  the  basket  of 
leaves.    She  lifted  the  cover  and  peeped  in  again. 

"Look!  Look!  Mother!"  she  cried. 

Her  mother  looked  and  clapped  her  hands.  The 
birch  leaves  were  turned  to  gold! 

"She  told  me  not  to  peep  until  I  reached 
home,"  said  Betty,  "but  I  disobeyed  and  threw 
two  handfuls  of  the  leaves  away." 


THE  WOOD-LADY  SI 

"Lucky  for  you  that  you  did  not  throw  them 
all  away!"  exclaimed  her  mother. 

The  next  morning  they  both  went  to  the  place 
where  Betty  had  thrown  out  the  leaves,  but  on 
the  road  lay  nothing  but  birch  leaves.  However, 
the  gold  Betty  had  brought  home  was  enough 
to  make  them  rich.  Her  mother  bought  a  fine 
house  and  garden.  They  had  many  cattle.  Betty 
had  handsome  clothes,  and  she  did  not  need 
to  pasture  the  goats  any  more.  But  though  she 
had  everything  she  desired,  nothing  gave  her  so 
great  delight  as  the  dance  with  the  Wood-Fairy. 
She  often  went  to  the  birch  wood  hoping  to 
see  the  beautiful  maiden,  but  she  never  again 
set  eyes  upon  her* 


THE  DANCE  OF  THE  FAIRIES 

By  the  moon  we  sport  and  play, 

With  the  night  begins  our  day; 

As  we  dance,  the  dew  doth  fall  — 

Trip  it,  little  Urchins  all, 

Lightly  as  the  little  bee, 

Two  by  two,  and  three  by  three; 

And  about  go  we!  And  about  go  we! 

Oh,  you  must  needs  dance  and  sing, 
Which  if  you  refuse  to  do, 
We  will  pinch  you  black  and  blue; 
And  about  go  we ! 

Round  about,  round  about,  in  a  fine  ring-a, 
Thus  we  dance,  thus  we  dance,  and  thus  we 

sing-a; 
Trip  and  go,  to  and  fro,  over  this  green-a, 
All  about,  in  and  out,  for  our  brave  Queen-a. 

We  have  danced  round  about,  in  a  fine  ring-a, 
We  have  danced  lustily,  and  thus  we  sing-a ; 
All  about,  in  and  out,  over  this  green-a, 
To  and  fro,  trip  and  go,  to  our  brave  Queen-a. 
The  Maydes  Metamorphosis  (1600)    } 


ELFIN  MOUNDS  AND  FAIRY  HILLS 


'T  is  the  Midnight  Hour! 
The  Moon  hangs  white! 
Mortal  beware, 
'T  is  Fairy  Night! 

From  Elfin  Mound, 
And  Fairy  Hill, 
Comes  music  sweet, 
And  laughter  shrill! 

Mortal  beware, 
For  Fairy-Spell 
Lies  on  meadow, 
Wood  and  dell! 


MONDAY!  TUESDAY! 

From  Ireland 

There  once  lived  a  lad  in  old  Ireland  named  Lus- 
more.  He  had  a  great  hump  on  his  back,  and 
whenever  he  sat  down  he  had  to  rest  his  chin  on 
his  knee  for  support.  But,  in  spite  of  this,  he 
was  as  happy  as  a  cricket,  and  used  to  go  about  the 
country  with  a  sprig  of  Fairy-cap,  or  Foxglove,  in 
his  little  straw  hat.  He  went  from  house  to  house 
plaiting  baskets  out  of  rushes,  and  in  that  way  he 
earned  a  living.  And  he  was  so  merry  that  people 
always  gave  him  a  penny  more  than  he  asked. 

One  evening,  he  was  returning  from  a  distant 
town,  and  as  he  walked  slowly  on  account  of  his 
hump,  it  grew  dark  before  he  could  reach  home. 
He  came  to  an  old  mound  by  the  side  of  the  road, 
and,  being  tired,  sat  down  on  it  to  rest. 

He  had  Dot  been  sitting  there  long  when  he 
heard  strains  of  music,  and  many  little  voices 
singing  sweetly.  He  laid  his  ear  to  the  mound,  and 
perceived  that  the  music  and  singing  came  from 
inside  it.  And  he  could  hear  the  words  that  the 
little  voices  were  chanting  over  and  over  again :  — 

"Monday!  Tuesday! 
Monday!  Tuesday! 
Monday!  Tuesday!** 


36      BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

It  was  all  so  very  sweet,  that  Lusmore  listened 
with  delight;  but  by  and  by  he  grew  tired  of  hear- 
ing the  same  words  sung  over  and  over.  He 
waited  politely  until  the  voices  had  finished  their 
song,  then  he  called :  — 

"And  Wednesday!'* 

The  Fairies  —  for  it  was  the  singing  of  Fairies 
that  he  heard  —  were  so  pleased  with  Lusmore's 
addition  to  their  words,  that  they  pulled  him 
right  down  through  the  top  of  the  mound  with 
the  speed  of  a  whirlwind.  And  he  went  falling  and 
twirling  round  and  round  as  light  as  a  feather. 

He  found  himself  in  a  palace  so  bright  that  it 

dazzled  his  eyes.    Then  all  the  Fairies  stopped 

capering  and  dancing,  and  came  crowding  around 

him.  And  one,  wearing  a  crown,  stepped  forward 

and  said :  — 

"Lusmore!  Lusmore! 
The  hump  that  you  wore, 
On  your  back  is  no  more. 
Look  down  on  the  floor. 
And  see  it,  Lusmore  1" 

And  as  these  words  were  being  said,  Lusmore 
felt  himself  grow  so  light  and  happy,  that  he 
could  have  bounded  up  to  the  moon.  And  he  saw 
his  hump  tumble  off  his  back  and  roll  on  the  floor. 
Then  the  Fairies  took  hands,  and  danced  around 
him,  and  as  they  did  so  he  became  dizzy  and  fell 
asleep. 


MONDAY!  TUESDAY!  37 

When  he  opened  his  eyes  it  was  broad  daylight, 
and  the  sun  was  shining,  and  the  birds  were  sing- 
ing, and  cows  and  sheep  were  grazing  peacefully 
around  him.  He  put  his  hand  to  his  hump.  It 
was  gone !  And  there  he  was,  as  tall,  straight,  and 
handsome  as  any  other  lad  in  Ireland.  And,  be- 
sides all  that,  he  was  dressed  in  a  full  suit  of  beau- 
tiful clothes. 

He  went  toward  his  home  stepping  out  lightly, 
and  jumping  high  at  every  step,  so  full  of  joy  was 
he.  And  as  he  passed  his  neighbours,  they  hardly 
knew  him  without  his  hump,  and  because  he  was 
so  straight  and  handsome,  and  was  dressed  so 
finely. 

Now,  in  another  village,  not  far  away,  lived  a 
lad  named  Jack  Madden.  He  also  had  a  great 
hump  on  his  back.  He  was  a  peevish,  cunning 
creature,  and  liked  to  scratch  and  pinch  all  who 
came  near  him. 

When  he  heard  how  the  Fairies  had  taken  away 
Lusmore's  hump,  he  decided  that  he,  too,  would 
visit  them.  So  one  night  after  darkness  had 
fallen,  he  sat  down  on  the  mound  all  alone,  and 
waited.  He  had  not  been  there  long  before  he 
heard  the  music,  and  the  sweet  voices  sing- 
ing:— 

"Monday!  Tuesday! 
Monday!  Tuesday! 
Monday!  Tuesday! 
And  Wednesday!" 


38      BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

And  as  he  was  in  a  very  great  hurry  to  get  rid 
of  his  hump,  he  did  not  wait  for  the  Fairies  to 
finish  their  song,  but  yelled  out,  thinking  that 
two  days  were  better  than  one:  — 

"And  Thursday  and  Friday!9* 

No  sooner  had  the  words  left  his  lips,  than  he 
was  taken  up  quickly,  and  whisked  through  the 
mound  with  terrific  force.  And  the  Fairies  came 
crowding  around  him,  screeching  and  buzzing 
with  anger,  and  crying  out :  — 

"Our  song  you  have  spoiled! 
Our  song  you  have  spoiled! 
Our  song  you  have  spoiled!" 

Then  the  one  wearing  the  crown  stepped  for- 
ward, and  said :  — 

"Jack  Madden!  Jack  Madden! 
Your  words  came  so  bad  in, 
That  your  life  we  will  sadden! 
Here's  two  humps  for  Jack  Madden!" 

And  quick  as  a  wink,  twenty  Fairies  brought 
Lusmore's  hump  and  clapped  it  down  on  Jack 
Madden's  back,  and  there  it  was  fixed  as  firmly 
as  if  nailed  on  with  tenpenny  nails. 

Then  out  of  the  mound  they  kicked  him.  And 
when  morning  was  come,  he  crept  home  with  the 
two  humps  on  his  back  —  and  he  is  wearing  them 
still. 


THE  GREEDY  OLD  MAN 

From  Cornwall 

Long  ago  in  Cornwall,  on  a  hillock  called  "the 
Gump,"  there  was  a  Fairy  Ring.  Many  a  good 
old  man  or  woman,  on  moonlit  nights,  had  seen 
the  Fairies  dancing  there  at  their  revels,  and  had 
been  rewarded  with  gifts  small  but  rich. 

Now,  there  was  one  greedy  old  man,  who,  hav- 
ing heard  his  neighbours  tell  of  the  Fairy  Gold  at 
the  revels,  decided  to  steal  some  of  the  treasure. 
So  on  a  moonlit  night,  when  all  was  quiet,  he 
stole  softly  up  to  "the  Gump." 

As  he  drew  near  he  heard  delightful  music, 
which  seemed  to  come  from  inside  the  hillock. 
The  notes  were  now  slow  and  solemn,  and  now 
quick  and  gay,  so  that  the  old  man  had  to  weep 
and  laugh  in  one  breath.  Then  before  he  knew 
it,  he  began  to  dance  to  the  Fairy  measure.  He 
was  forced  by  some  unseen  power  to  whirl  round 
and  round;  but  in  spite  of  this  he  kept  his  wits 
about  him,  and  watched  to  see  what  would  hap- 
pen. 

Suddenly  there  was  a  crashing  sound,  and  a 
door  in  the  hillock  opened.  Instantly  the  old  man 
saw  that  everything  about  him  was  ablaze  with 
coloured  lights.   Each  blade  of  grass  was  hung 


40      BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

with  tiny  bright  lamps,  and  every  tree  and  bush 
was  illuminated  with  stars. 

Out  of  the  opening  in  thejjillock  marched  a 
band  of  Goblins,  as  if  to  clear  the  way.  Then 
came  a  number  of  Fairy  musicians  playing  on 
every  kind  of  musical  instrument.  These  were 
followed  by  troop  after  troop  of  Elfin  soldiers, 
carrying  waving  banners. 

The  soldiers  arranged  themselves  in  two  files 
on  either  side  of  the  door;  but  the  Goblins,  much 
to  the  old  man's  disgust,  placed  themselves  close 
behind  him.  As  they  were  no  bigger  than  his 
thumb,  he  thought  to  himself:  "If  they  bother 
me,  I  can  easily  step  on  them  and  crush  them 
with  my  foot." 

This  vast  array  having  disposed  itself,  next 
from  the  hillock  came  a  crowd  of  Elfin  servants 
carrying  pitchers  of  silver  and  gold,  and  goblets 
cut  out  of  diamonds,  rubies,  emeralds,  and  other 
precious  stones.  Servants  followed  bearing  aloft 
gold  and  silver  platters  heaped  high  with  the  rich- 
est meats,  pastries,  candies,  and  glowing  fruits. 
A  number  of  Elfin  boys,  clad  in  crimson,  then  set 
out  small  tables  made  of  ivory  curiously  carved, 
and  the  servants  arranged  the  feast  with  order. 

Then  out  of  the  hillock  came  crowding  thou- 
sands and  thousands  of  lovely  winged  Fairies 
clad  in  gossamer  robes  of  every  colour,  like  the 
rainbow. 


THE  GREEDY  OLD  MAN  41 

The  music  suddenly  changed  to  low,  delicate 
notes,  and  the  old  man  found  that  he  was  no 
longer  forced  to  dance  and  whirl  about.  And  as 
he  stood  still,  the  perfume  of  a  thousand  rich 
flowers  filled  the  air,  and  the  whole  vast  host  of 
Fairies  began  to  sing  a  song  as  clear  and  sweet  as 
the  tinkle  of  silver  bells. 

Then  from  the  hillock  issued  forth  line  after 
line  of  Elfin  boys  dressed  in  green  and  gold,  and 
behind  them  on  an  ivory  throne,  borne  aloft  by 
a  hundred  Fairies,  came  the  King  and  Queen  of 
Fairyland  blazing  with  beauty  and  jewels. 

The  throne  was  placed  upon  the  hillock,  which 
immediately  bloomed  with  lilies  and  roses.  Be- 
fore the  King  and  Queen  was  set  the  most  beau- 
tiful of  all  the  little  tables  laden  with  gold  and 
silver  dishes  and  precious  goblets.  The  Fairies 
took  their  places  at  the  other  tables,  and  began 
to  feast  with  a  will. 

"Now,"  thought  the  old  man,  "my  time  is 
come!  If  only  I  can  creep  up,  without  being  seen, 
to  the  Fairy  King's  table,  I  shall  be  able  to  snatch 
enough  gold  to  make  me  rich  for  life." 

And  with  his  greedy  mind  set  on  this,  he 
crouched  down,  and  began  very  slowly  to  creep 
toward  the  throne.  But  he  did  not  see  that  thou- 
sands of  Goblins  had  cast  fine  threads  about  his 
body,  and  were  holding  the  ends  in  their  hands. 

Trembling  with  greed,  the  old  man  crept  closer 


42     BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIEb 

and  closer  to  the  Fairy  King  and  Queen.  He  took 
his  hat  from  his  head,  and  raised  it  carefully  to 
cover  the  royal  throne  and  table;  and,  as  he 
did  so,  he  heard  a  shrill  whistle.  Instantly  his 
hand  was  fixed  powerless  in  the  air.  Then,  with  a 
sudden  crash,  all  became  dark  around  him. 

"Whirr!  Whirr!  W7hirr!"  and  he  heard  as  if  a 
flight  of  bees  were  brushing  past  his  ears,  and 
suddenly,  his  body,  from  head  to  foot,  was 
stabbed  with  pins  and  pinched  with  tweezers. 
Then  he  was  thrown  violently  upon  his  back  with 
his  arms  outstretched;  and  his  arms  and  legs  were 
fastened  to  the  ground  with  magic  chains.  His 
tongue  seemed  tied  with  cords  so  that  he  could 
not  call  out. 

And  as  he  lay  there  trembling  with  fright  and 

pain,  he  felt  as  though  swarms  of  insects  were 

running  over  him.   Then  he  saw  standing  on  his 

nose   a   grinning   Goblin.     This   little   monster 

stamped  and  jumped  with  great  delight;  then 

making  a  fearful  grimace,  shouted:  — 

" Away 7  Away! 
I  smell  the  day!" 

And  on  this,  an  army  of  Goblins,  Fairies,  and 
Elves,  who  were  running  up  and  down  the  old 
man's  body,  stabbing  him  with  pins,  and  pinch- 
ing him  with  tweezers,  jumped  quickly  down,  and 
rushed  into  the  hillock;  which  closed  immediately. 
And  the  old  man  saw  the  Fairies  no  more. 


THE  GREEDY  OLD  MAN  43 

At  length  the  sun  rose  and  he  found  that  he 
was  tied  to  the  ground  with  a  myriad  of  gossa- 
mer webs,  which  were  covered  with  dew-drops 
that  glistened  like  diamonds  in  the  sunlight. 

He  shook  himself  free,  and  got  up.  Wet,  cold, 
ashamed,  and  pinched  black  and  blue,  he  re- 
turned to  his  home.  And  you  may  be  sure  that 
he  never  again  tried  to  steal  the  Fairy  Gold. 


LEGEND  OF  BOTTLE  HILL 

From  Ireland 

It  was  in  the  good  days,  when  the  Little  People 
were  more  frequently  seen  than  they  are  in  these 
unbelieving  times,  that  a  farmer,  named  Mick 
Purcell,  rented  a  few  acres  of  barren  ground  not 
far  from  the  city  of  Cork. 

Mick  had  a  wife  and  seven  children.  They  did 
all  that  they  could  to  get  on,  which  was  very 
little,  for  the  poor  man  had  no  child  grown  big 
enough  to  help  him  in  his  work;  and  all  that  the 
poor  woman  could  do  was  to  mind  the  children, 
milk  the  cow,  boil  the  potatoes,  and  carry  the 
eggs  to  market.  So  besides  the  difficulty  of  get- 
ting enough  to  eat,  it  was  hard  on  them  to  pay 
the  rent. 

Well,  they  did  manage  to  get  along  for  a  good 
while;  but  at  last  came  a  bad  year,  and  the  little 
field  of  oats  was  spoiled,  and  the  chickens  died 
of  the  pip,  and  the  pig  got  the  measles,  and  poor 
Mick  found  that  he  had  n't  enough  to  pay  half 
his  rent. 

"Why,  then,  Molly,"  said  he,  "what '11  we 
do?" 

"Wisha,  then,  mavourneen,  what  would  you 
do  but  take  the  cow  to  the  Fair  of  Cork,  and  sell 


LEGEND  OF  BOTTLE  HILL    45 

her?"  said  she.  "And  Monday  is  Fair-day,  so 
you  must  go  to-morrow." 

"And  what '11  we  do  when  she's  gone?"  said 
Mick. 

"Never  a  know  I  know,  Mick,  but  sure  God 
won't  leave  us  without  help.  And  you  know  how 
good  He  was  to  us  when  little  Billy  was  sick,  and 
we  had  nothing  at  all  for  him  to  take  —  that  good 
doctor  gentleman  came  riding  past  and  asked 
for  a  drink  of  milk,  and  he  gave  us  two  shillings, 
and  sent  me  things  and  a  bottle  for  the  child;  and 
he  came  to  see  Billy  and  never  left  off  his  good- 
ness until  he  was  well." 

"Oh,  you  are  always  hopeful,  Molly,  and  I  be- 
lieve you  are  right,  after  all,"  Mick  said,  "so  I 
won't  be  sorry  for  selling  the  cow.  I'll  go  to- 
morrow, and  you  must  put  a  needle  and  thread 
through  my  coat,  for  you  know  it 's  ripped  under 
the  arm." 

Molly  told  him  he  should  have  everything 
right.  And  about  twelve  o'clock  the  next  day 
he  left  her,  after  having  promised  not  to  sell  his 
cow  except  for  the  highest  penny. 

He  drove  the  beast  slowly  through  a  little 
stream  that  crossed  the  road  under  the  walls  of 
an  old  fort;  and  as  he  passed,  he  glanced  his  eyes 
on  a  pile  of  stones  and  an  old  elder  tree  that 
stood  up  sharply  against  the  sky. 

"Oh,  then,  if  only  I  had  half  the  Fairy  money 


46      BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

that  is  buried  in  yon  fort,  't  is  n't  driving  this 
cow  I'd  be  now!"  said  he  aloud. 

Then  he  moved  on  after  his  beast.  'T  was  a 
fine  day,  and  the  sun  shone  brightly,  and  after 
he  had  gone  six  miles,  he  came  to  that  hill  — 
Bottle  Hill  it  is  called  now,  but  that  was  not  the 
name  of  it  then. 

"Good  morrow,  Mick!"  said  a  little  voice, 
and  with  that  a  little  man  started  up  out  of  the 
hill. 

"Good  morrow,  kindly,"  said  Mick,  and  he 
looked  at  the  stranger  who  was  like  a  dwarf  with 
a  bit  of  an  old  wrinkled  face,  for  all  the  world 
like  a  dried  cauliflower;  only  he  had  a  sharp  red 
nose,  red  eyes,  and  white  hair.  His  eyes  were 
never  quiet,  but  looked  at  everything;  and  it 
made  Mick's  blood  run  cold  just  to  see  them  roll 
so  rapidly  from  side  to  side. 

In  truth  Mick  did  not  like  the  little  man's  com- 
pany at  all,  and  he  drove  his  cow  somewhat 
faster;  but  the  little  man  kept  up  with  him.  Out 
of  the  corner  of  his  eye  Mick  could  see  that  he 
moved  over  the  road  without  lifting  one  foot 
after  the  other;  and  the  poor  fellow's  heart 
trembled  within  him. 

"Where  are  you  going  with  that  cow,  honest 
man?"  said  the  little  man  at  last. 

"To  the  Fair  of  Cork,  then,"  said  Mick,  trem- 
bling even  more  at  the  shrill  and  piercing  voice. 


LEGEND  OF  BOTTLE  HILL         47 

"Are  you  going  to  sell  her?"  asked  the  little 
man.  * 

"Why,  then,  what  else  am  I  going  for,  but  to 
sell  her?" 

"Will  you  sell  her  to  me?"  * 

Mick  started.  He  was  afraid  to  have  anything 
to  do  with  the  little  man,  but  he  was  more  afraid 
to  say  no. 

"I'll  tell  you  what,  I'll  give  you  this  bottle," 
said  the  little  man,  pulling  a  bottle  from  under 
his  coat. 

Mick  looked  at  him  and  the  bottle,  and  in  spite 
of  his  terror  he  could  not  help  bursting  into  a 
loud  fit  of  laughter. 

"Laugh  if  you  will!"  said  the  little  man,  "but 
I  tell  you  that  this  bottle  is  better  for  you  than 
all  the  money  you  will  get  for  the  cow  at  Cork  — 
aye,  than  ten  thousand  times  as  much." 

Mick  laughed  again.  "Why,  then,"  said  he, 
"do  you  think  I  am  such  a  fool  as  to  give  my  good 
cow  for  a  bottle  —  and  an  empty  one,  too !  In- 
deed, then,  I  won't!" 

"You'd  better  give  me  the  cow,  and  take  the 
bottle  —  you'll  not  be  sorry  for  it,"  said  the  little 
man. 

"Why,  then,  what  would  Molly  say?  I'd  never 
hear  the  last  of  it!  And  how  should  I  pay  the 
rent?  And  what  should  we  do  without  a  penny 
of  money?  " 


48      BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND;  FAIRIES 

"When  you  go  home,  never  mind  if  your  wife 
is  angry,"  answered  the  little  man,  "but  quiet 
yourself,  and  make  her  sweep  the  room,  and  set 
the  table  in  the  middle  of  the  floor,  and  spread 
the  best  cover  on  it.  Then  put  the  bottle  on  the 
ground,  saying  these  words:  'Bottle,  do  your 
duty!'  And  you  will  see  the  end  of  it." 

"And  is  this  all?"  said  Mick. 

"No  more,"  said  the  stranger,  forcing  the  bot- 
tle into  Mick's  hand.  Then  he  moved  swiftly  off 
after  the  cow. 

Well,  Mick,  rather  sick  at  heart,  retraced  his 
steps  toward  his  cabin,  and  as  he  went  he  could 
not  help  turning  his  head  to  look  after  the  little 
man ;  but  he  had  vanished  completely. 

"He  can't  belong  to  this  earth,"  exclaimed 
Mick  in  horror  to  himself.  "But  where  is  the 
cow?"  She,  too,  was  gone;  and  Mick  hurried 
homeward  muttering  prayers  and  holding  fast 
the  bottle. 

He  soon  reached  his  cabin,  and  surprised  his 
wife  sitting  over  the  turf  fire  in  the  big  chimney. 

"Oh!  Mick,  are  you  come  back?"  said  she. 
"Sure  you  weren't  at  Cork  all  the  way?  What 
has  happened  to  you?  Where  is  the  cow?  Did 
you  sell  her?  How  much  money  did  you  get  for 
her?  What  news  have  you?  Tell  us  everything." 

"Why,  then,  Molly,  if  you'll  give  me  time,  I'll 
tell  you  all  about  it!" 


LEGEND  OF  BOTTLE  HILL  49 

"  Oh !  then,  you  sold  her.  Where 's  the  money?  " 

"Arrah!  stop  a  while,  Molly,  and  I'll  tell  you 
all  about  it!" 

"But  what  is  that  bottle  under  your  waist- 
coat?" said  Molly,  seeing  its  neck  sticking  out.  '< 

"  Why,  then,  be  easy  about  it,"  said  Mick,  "till 
I  tell  it  you."  And  putting  the  bottle  on  the  table, 
he  added,  "That's  all  I  got  for  the  cow." 

His  poor  wife  was  thunderstruck.  She  sat  cry- 
ing, while  Mick  told  her  his  story,  with  many  a 
crossing  and  blessing  between  him  and  harm.  She 
could  not  help  believing  him,  for  she  had  great 
faith  in  Fairies.  So  she  got  up,  and,  without  say- 
ing a  word,  began  to  sweep  the  earthen  floor  with 
a  bunch  of  heather.  Then  she  tidied  everything, 
and  put  the  long  table  in  the  middle  of  the  room, 
and  spread  over  it  a  clean  cloth. 

And  then  Mick,  placing  the  bottle  on  the 
ground,  said:  "Bottle,  do  your  duty!" 

"Look!  Look  there,  mammy!"  cried  his  eldest 
son.  "Look  there!  Look  there!"  and  he  sprang 
to  his  mother's  side,  as  two  tiny  fellows  rose  like 
light  from  the  bottle;  and  in  an  instant  they  cov- 
ered the  table  with  dishes  and  plates  of  gold  and 
silver,  full  of  the  finest  victuals  that  ever  were 
seen.  And  when  all  was  done,  the  two  tiny  fel- 
lows went  into  the  bottle  again. 

Mick  and  his  wife  looked  at  everything  with 
astonishment;  they  had  never  seen  such  dishes 


50      BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

and  plates  before,  and  the  very  sight  of  them  al- 
most took  their  appetites  away.  But  at  length 
Molly  said:  — 

"Come  and  sit  down,  Mick,  and  try  to  eat  a 
bit.  Sure,  you  ought  to  be  hungry,  after  such  a 
good  day's  work!" 

So  they  all  sat  down  at  the  table.  After  they 
had  eaten  as  much  as  they  wished,  Molly  said:  — 
:  "I  wonder  will  those  two  good,  little  gentlemen 
carry  away  these  fine  things." 

They  waited,  but  no  one  came;  so  Molly  put 
the  dishes  and  plates  carefully  aside.  The  next 
day  Mick  went  to  Cork  and  sold  some  of  them, 
and  bought  a  horse  and  cart. 

Weeks  passed  by,  and  the  neighbours  saw  that 
Mick  was  making  money;  and,  though  he  and 
his  wife  did  all  they  could  to  keep  the  bottle  a 
secret,  their  landlord  soon  found  out  about  it. 
Then  he  took  the  bottle  by  force  away  from  Mick, 
and  carried  it  carefully  home. 

As  for  Mick  and  his  wife,  they  had  so  much 
money  left  that  the  loss  of  the  bottle  did  not 
worry  them  much  at  first;  but  they  kept  on 
spending  their  wealth  as  if  there  was  no  end  to 
it.  And  to  make  a  long  story  short,  they  became 
poorer  and  poorer,  until  they  had  to  sell  their 
last  cow.  f 

So  one  morning  early,  Mick  once  more  drove 
his  cow  to  the  Fair  of  Cork.  It  was  hardly  day- 


LEGEND  OF  BOTTLE  HILL         51 

break  when  he  left  home,  and  he  walked  on  until 
he  reached  the  big  hill;  and  just  as  he  got  to  its 
top,  and  cast  his  eyes  before  and  around  him,  up 
started  the  little  man  out  of  the  hill. 

"Well,  Mick  Purcell,"  said  he,  "I  told  you  that 
you  would  be  a  rich  man!" 

"Indeed,  then,  so  I  was,  that  is  no  lie  for  you, 
sir,"  replied  Mick.  "But  it's  not  rich  I  am  now! 
And  if  you  happen  to  have  another  bottle,  here 
is  the  cow  for  it." 

"And  here  is  the  bottle!"  said  the  little  man, 
smiling.   "You  know  what  to  do  with  it." 

And  with  that  both  the  cow  and  the  stranger 
disappeared  as  they  had  done  before. 

Mick  hurried  away,  anxious  to  get  home  with 
the  bottle.  He  arrived  with  it  safely  enough,  and 
called  out  to  Molly  to  put  the  room  to  rights;  and 
to  lay  a  clean  cloth  on  the  table.  Which  she  did. 

Mick  set  the  bottle  on  the  ground,  and  cried 
out:  "Bottle,  do  your  duty!" 

In  a  twinkling  two  great,  stout  men  with  two 
huge  clubs,  issued  from  the  bottle,  and  belaboured 
poor  Mick  and  his  family  until  they  lay  groaning 
on  the  floor.  Then  the  two  men  went  into  the 
bottle  again. 

Mick,  as  soon  as  he  came  to  himself,  got  up  and 
looked  around  him.  He  thought  and  he  thought. 
He  lifted  up  his  wife  and  children,  then  leaving 
them  to  recover  as  best  they  could,  he  put  the 


52      BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

bottle  under  his  arm,  and  went  to  visit  his  land- 
lord. 

The  landlord  was  having  a  great  feast,  and 
when  he  saw  that  Mick  had  another  bottle,  he 
invited  him  heartily  to  come  in. 

"Show  us  your  bottle,  Mick,"  said  he. 

So  Mick  set  it  on  the  floor,  and  spoke  the  proper 
words;  and  in  a  moment  the  landlord  tumbled 
to  the  floor,  and  all  his  guests  were  running,  and 
roaring,  and  sprawling,  and  kicking,  and  shriek- 
ing, while  the  two  great,  stout  men  belaboured 
them  well. 

"Stop  those  two  scoundrels,  Mick  Purcell," 
shouted  the  landlord,  "or  I'll  hang  you!" 

"They  shall  never  stop,"  said  Mick,  "till  I  get 
my  own  bottle  that  I  see  on  top  of  yon  shelf." 

"Give  it  to  him!  Give  it  to  him,  before  we  are 
killed!"  cried  the  landlord. 

Mick  put  his  old  bottle  in  his  bosom.  Then 
the  two  great,  stout  men  jumped  into  the  new 
one,  and  Mick  carried  both  bottles  safely  home. 

And  to  make  my  story  short,  from  that  time  on 
Mick  prospered.  He  got  richer  than  ever,  and 
his  son  married  the  landlord's  daughter.  And 
both  Mick  and  his  wife  lived  to  a  great  old  age. 
They  died  on  the  same  day,  and  at  their  wake  the 
servants  broke  both  bottles.  But  the  hill  has  the 
name  upon  it;  for  so  it  will  always  be  Bottle  Hill 
to  the  end  of  the  world,  for  this  is  a  strange  story. 


THE  BROWN  DWARF 

The  pleasant  isle  of  Riigen  looks  the  Baltic  water 

o'er, 
To  the  silver-sanded  beaches  of  the  Pomeranian 

shore; 

And  in  the  town  of  Rambin  a  little  boy  and 

maid 
Plucked  the  meadow-flowers  together  and  in  the 

sea-surf  played. 

Alike  were  they  in  beauty  if  not  in  their  de- 
gree: 

He  was  the  Amptman's  first-born,  the  miller's 
child  was  she. 

Now  of  old  the  isle  of  Riigen  was  full  of  Dwarfs 

and  Trolls, 
The  brown-faced  little  Earth-men,  the  people 

without  souls; 

And  for  every  man  and  woman  in  Rugen's  island 
found 

Walking  in  air  and  sunshine,  a  Troll  was  under- 
ground. 


54      BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

It  chanced  the  little  maiden,  one  morning,  strolled 

away 
Among  the  haunted  Nine  Hills,  where  the  Elves 

and  Goblins  play. 

That  day,  in  barley  fields  below,  the  harvesters 

had  known 
Of  evil  voices  in  the  air,  and  heard  the  small  horns 

blown. 

She  came  not  back;  the  search  for  her  in  field  and 

wood  was  vain: 
They  cried  her  east,  they  cried  her  west,  but  she 

came  not  again. 

"She's  down  among  the  Brown  Dwarfs,"  said 
the  dream- wives  wise  and  old, 

And  prayers  were  made,  and  masses  said,  and 
Rambin's  church  bell  tolled. 

Five  years  her  father  mourned  her;  and  then  John 

Deitrich  said : 
"I  will  find  my  little  playmate,  be  she  alive  or 

dead." 

He  watched  among  the  Nine  Hills,  he  heard  the 

Brown  Dwarfs  sing, 
And  saw  them  dance  by  moonlight  merrily  in  a 

ring. 


THE  BROWN  DWARF  55 

And  when  their  gay-robed  leader  tossed  up  his 

cap  of  red, 
Young  Deitrich  caught  it  as  it  fell,  and  thrust  it 

on  his  head. 

The  Troll  came  crouching  at  his  feet  and  wept 

for  lack  of  it. 
"Oh,  give  me  back  my  magic  cap,  for  your  great 

head  unfit!" 

"Nay,"  Deitrich  said;  "the  Dwarf  who  throws 

his  charmed  cap  away, 
Must  serve  its  finder  at  his  will,  and  for  his  folly 

pay. 

"You  stole  my  pretty  Lisbeth,  and  hid  her  in  the 

earth; 
And  you  shall  ope  the  door  of  glass  and  let  me 

lead  her  forth." 

"She  will  not  come;  she's  one  of  us;  she's  mine!" 

the  Brown  Dwarf  said; 
"The  day  is  set,  the  cake  is  baked,  to-morrow  we 

shall  wed." 

"The  fell  fiend  fetch  thee!"  Deitrich  cried,  "and 

keep  thy  foul  tongue  still. 
Quick!  open,  to  thy  evil  world,  the  glass  door  of 

the  hill!" 


56      BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

The  Dwarf  obeyed;  and  youth  and  Troll  down 

the  long  stairway  passed, 
And  saw  in  dim  and  sunless  light  a  country 

strange  and  vast. 

Weird,  rich,  and  wonderful,  he  saw  the  Elfin 

under-land,  — 
Its  palaces  of  precious  stones,  its  streets  of  golden 

sand. 

He  came  into  a  banquet-hall  with  tables  richly 

spread, 
Where  a  young  maiden  served  to  him  the  red  wine 

and  the  bread. 

How  fair  she  seemed  among  the  Trolls  so  ugly 

and  so  wild! 
Yet  pale  and  very  sorrowful,  like  one  who  never 

smiled ! 

Her  low,  sweet  voice,  her  gold-brown  hair,  her 
tender  blue  eyes  seemed 

Like  something  he  had  seen  elsewhere  or  some- 
thing he  had  dreamed. 

He  looked;  he  clasped  her  in  his  arms;  he  knew 

the  long-lost  one; 
"  O  Lisbeth !  See  thy  playmate  —  I  am  the  Ampt- 

man's  son!" 


THE  BROWN  DWARF  57 

She  leaned  her  fair  head  on  his  breast,  and  through 

her  sobs  she  spoke: 
"Oh,  take  me  from  this  evil  place,  and  from  the 

Elfin  folk! 

"And  let  me  tread  the  grass-green  fields  and  smell 

the  flowers  again, 
And  feel  the  soft  wind  on  my  cheek  and  hear  the 

dropping  rain! 

"And  Oh,  to  hear  the  singing  bird,  the  rustling  of 

the  tree, 
The  lowing  cows,  the  bleat  of  sheep,  the  voices  of 

the  sea; 

"And  Oh,  upon  my  father's  knee  to  sit  beside  the 

door, 
And  hear  the  bell  of  vespers  ring  in  Rambin 

church  once  more!" 

He  kissed  her  cheek,  he  kissed  her  lips;  the  Brown 

Dwarf  groaned  to  see, 
And  tore  his  tangled  hair  and  ground  his  long 

teeth  angrily. 

But  Deitrich  said:  "For  five  long  years  this  ten- 
der Christian  maid 

Has  served  you  in  your  evil  world,  and  well  must 
she  be  paid! 


58      BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

"Haste!  —  hither  bring  me  precious  gems,  the 

richest  in  your  store; 
Then  when  we  pass  the  gate  of  glass,  you'll  take 

your  cap  once  more." 

No  choice  was  left  the  baffled  Troll,  and,  murmur- 
ing, he  obeyed, 

And  filled  the  pockets  of  the  youth  and  apron  of 
the  maid. 

They  left  the  dreadful  under-land  and  passed  the 

gate  of  glass; 
They  felt  the  sunshine's  warm  caress,  they  trod 

the  soft,  green  grass. 

And  when,  beneath,  they  saw  the  Dwarf  stretch 

up  to  them  his  brown 
And  crooked  claw-like  fingers,  they  tossed  his 

red  cap  down. 

Oh,  never  shone  so  bright  a  sun,  was  never  sky 

so  blue, 
As  hand  in  hand   they  homeward  walked  the 

pleasant  meadows  through! 

And  never  sang  the  birds  so  sweet  in  Rambin's 

woods  before, 
And  never  washed  the  waves  so  soft  along  the 

Baltic  shore; 


THE  BROWN  DWARF  59 

And  when  beneath  his  door-yard  trees  the  father 

met  his  child, 
The  bells  rung  out  their  merriest  peal,  the  folks 

with  joy  ran  wild. 

And  soon  from  Rambin's  holy  church  the  twain 

came  forth  as  one, 
The  Amptman  kissed  a  daughter,  the  miller  blest 

a  son. 

John  Deitrich's  fame  went  far  and  wide,  and 

nurse  and  maid  crooned  o'er 
Their   cradle   song:   "Sleep   on,  sleep  well,  the 

Trolls  shall  come  no  more!" 

For  in  the  haunted  Nine  Hills  he  set  a  cross  of 

stone; 
And  Elf  and  Brown  Dwarf  sought  in  vain  a  door 

where  door  was  none. 

The  tower  he  built  in  Rambin,  fair  Rugen's  pride 

and  boast, 
Looked  o'er  the  Baltic  water  to  the  Pomeranian 

coast; 

And,  for  his  worth  ennobled,  and  rich  beyond 

compare, 
Count  Deitrich  and  his  lovely  bride  dwelt  long 

and  happy  there. 

John  Greenleaf  Whittier 


LITTLE  MEN  AND  TREASURES  OF  GOLD 


And  will  you  come  away,  my  lad, 
And  search  for  Fairy-Treasure? 

The  pots  of  gold  mid  diamond-'heaps 
Lie  buried  without  measure. 

And  Little  Men  with  wagging  beards, 
Guard  all  with  Elfin-spell. 

And  you  must  catch  a  Little  Man; 
Then  he  the  Word  will  tell, 

The  Magic  Word  that  opes  the  hills, 
Unearths  the  Golden  Crocks, 

Uncloses  all  the  Treasure-Caves, 
And  breaks  the  Fairy-Locks  I 


THE  BOY  WHO  FOUND  THE  POTS 
OF  GOLD 

From  Ireland 

There  was  once  a  poor  boy  who  used  to  drive  his 
cart  along  the  road,  and  sell  turf  to  the  neigh- 
bours. He  was  a  strange  boy,  very  silent,  and 
spent  his  evenings  in  his  little  hut,  where  he  lived 
alone,  reading  old  bits  of  books  he  had  picked  up 
in  his  rambles.  And  as  he  read,  he  longed  to  be 
rich  and  live  in  a  fine  house  with  a  garden  all 
round  him,  and  to  have  plenty  of  books. 

Now  he  once  read  how  the  Fairies'  Shoemakers, 
the  Leprechauns  —  merry,  tricksy  little  sprites 
—  sit  at  sunset  under  the  hedges  mending  the 
shoes  of  Elfin  Folk.  And  how  they  chuckle  as 
they  work,  for  they  know  where  the  pots  of  Fairy 
Gold  are  hidden. 

So,  evening  after  evening,  the  boy  watched 
the  hedges  hoping  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  a  little 
cobbler,  and  to  hear  the  click-clack  of  his  tiny 
hammer. 

At  last,  one  evening,  just  as  the  sun  was  set- 
ting, the  boy  saw  a  little  Leprechaun  sitting  under 
a  dock-leaf,  and  working  away  hard  on  a  small 
boot.  He  was  dressed  in  green  and  wore  a  red  cap 
on  his  head. '  The  boy  jumped  down  from  his  cart, 


64      BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

and  catching  the  Leprechaun  by  the  neck,  cried 
merrily:  — 

"Ho!  Ho!  My  fine  little  man,  you  can't  get 
away  until  you  tell  me  where  the  Fairy  Gold  is 
hidden!" 

"Easy  now!"  said  the  little  man,  laughing. 
"Don't  hurt  me,  and  I'll  tell  you  all  about  it.  I 
could  harm  you,  if  I  wished,  for  I  have  the  power; 
but  I  like  you,  and  you  are  an  industrious  lad.  So 
carry  me  to  yonder  fort,  and  I'll  show  you  the 
gold/' 

Carrying  the  Leprechaun  carefully,  the  boy 
took  a  few  steps,  and  found  himself  close  to  the 
ruins  of  an  old  fort.  A  door  opened  in  a  stone  wall, 
and  he  walked  in. 

"Now  look  around,"  said  the  Leprechaun. 

Then  the  boy  saw  that  the  whole  ground  was 
covered  with  gold  pieces,  while  pots  full  of  gold  and 
silver  money  stood  about  in  such  plenty  that  it 
seemed  as  if  all  the  riches  of  the  world  were  there. 

"Take  what  you  want,"  said  the  Leprechaun, 
"and  be  quick  about  it;  for  if  the  door  shuts  you 
will  never  leave  this  place  alive." 

The  boy  hurried,  and  gathered  his  arms  full  of 
gold  and  silver,  and  hastening  out  of  the  door, 
flung  all  into  the  cart.  Then  he  brought  out  some 
of  the  pots;  but  when  he  was  on  his  way  back  for 
more,  the  door  shut  with  a  clap  like  thunder,  and 
night  fell,  and  all  was  dark. 


THE  POTS  OF  GOLD  65 

The  boy  saw  no  more  of  the  Leprechaun;  and 
as  he  could  not  even  thank  him,  he  thought  that 
it  was  best  to  drive  home  at  once  and  hide  his 
treasure. 

When  he  reached  his  hut,  he  counted  all  the 
bright  yellow  pieces  and  shining  silver  ones,  and 
found  that  he  was  as  rich  as  a  king.  And  because 
he  was  wise,  he  told  no  one  about  his  adventure, 
but  the  next  day  drove  to  town  and  put  all  his 
money  in  the  bank. 

After  that  he  ordered  a  fine  house,  and  laid  out 
a  spacious  garden,  and  had  servants,  and  car- 
riages, and  many  books.  Then  he  married  the 
daughter  of  a  magistrate,  and  became  great  and 
powerful.  His  memory  is  still  held  in  reverence 
by  his  townspeople.  His  descendants  are  living 
rich  and  happy;  and  no  matter  how  much  they 
give  to  the  poor,  their  wealth  always  increases. 


THE  RAGWEED 

From  Ireland 

Tom  was  as  clean,  clever,  and  tight  looking  a  lad 
as  any  in  the  whole  county  Cork.  One  fine  holi- 
day in  harvest-time,  he  was  taking  a  ramble  and 
was  sauntering  along  the  sunny  side  of  a  hedge, 
when  suddenly  he  heard  a  crackling  sound  among 
the  leaves. 

"Dear  me!"  said  he,  "but  is  n't  it  really  sur- 
prising to  hear  the  stone-chats  singing  so  late  in 
the  season!" 

And  with  that  he  stole  along,  going  on  the  tips 
of  his  toes,  to  see  if  he  could  get  sight  of  what  was 
making  the  noise.  He  looked  sharply  under  the 
bushes,  and  what  should  he  see  in  a  nook  in  the 
hedge  but  a  big  brown  pitcher  holding  a  gallon 
or  more  of  dark  looking  liquor.  And  standing 
close  to  it  was  a  little,  diny,  dony  bit  of  an  old 
man  as  big  as  your  thumb,  with  a  tiny  cocked 
hat  stuck  on  the  top  of  his  head,  and  a  deesy, 
daushy,  leather  apron  hanging  down  before  him. 

The  little  old  man  pulled  a  little  brown  stool 
from  under  the  hedge,  and,  standing  upon  it, 
dipped  a  little  cup  into  the  pitcher.  Then  he 
took  the  cup  out,  full  of  the  brown  liquor,  and 
putting  it  on  the  ground,  sat  down  on  the  stool 


THE  RAGWEED  67 

under  the  shadow  of  the  pitcher.  He  began  to 
put  a  heel-piece  on  a  bit  of  a  boot  just  the  size 
for  himself. 

"Bless  my  soul!"  said  Tom  to  himself,  in  great 
surprise,  "I've  often  heard  tell  of  the  Lepre- 
chauns, but  I  never  rightly  believed  in  them !  But 
here's  one  in  real  earnest!  Now  if  I  set  about 
hings  right,  I  'm  a  made  man !  Folks  say  that  a 
body  must  never  take  his  eyes  off  them  or  they'll 
get  away." 

So  Tom  stole  nearer,  with  his  eyes  fixed  on  the 

:le  man,  just  as  a  cat  does^with  a  mouse.  And 
when  he  got  close  up  to  him,  he  said  softly:  — 

"How  goes  your  work,  neighbour?" 

The  little  man  raised  his  head.    "Very  well, 
thank  you  kindly,"  said  he. 
i  "I'm  surprised  that  you  should  be  working  on 
a  holiday,"  said  Tom. 

"That's  my  own  business,  not  yours,"  said 
the  little  man. 

1  "  Well,  will  you  be  civil  enough  to  tell  me  what 's 
in  your  pitcher?"  said  Tom. 

"That  I  will,  with  pleasure,"  said  the  little 
man.   "  T  is  Elfin  beer." 

"Elfin  beer!"  said  Tom.    "Thunder  and  fire! 
Where  did  you  get  it?" 

"Why  I  made  it  —  I  made  it  of  heath,"  said 
the  little  man. 

"Of  heath!"  said  Tom  bursting  out  laughing. 


68      BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

"And  will  you  give  a  body  a  taste  of  it?"  asked 
he. 

"I'll  tell  you  what  it  is,  young  man,"  said  the 
Leprechaun,  "it  would  be  fitter  for  you  to  be 
looking  after  your  cows  that  have  broken  into 
the  oats  yonder,  than  to  stand  here  asking  hon- 
est folks  foolish  questions!" 

Tom  was  so  taken  by  surprise  at  this,  that  he 
was  just  going  to  turn  his  head  to  look  for  the 
cows,  when  he  remembered  not  to  take  his  eyes 
off  the  Leprechaun.  Instead  he  made  a  grab  at 
the  little  man  and  caught  him  up  in  his  hand; 
but,  as  bad  luck  would  have  it,  he  overturned  the 
pitcher  with  his  foot,  and  all  the  liquor  was  spilt. 

"You  little  rogue!  "  cried  he,  shaking  the  Lep- 
rechaun hard,  and  looking  very  wicked  and  angry. 
"Tell  me  where  your  gold  is  hidden,  and  show 
me  all  your  money!" 

At  that  the  little  man  was  quite  frightened. 
"Come  along  with  me,"  said  he,  "and  I'll  show 
you  a  crock  of  gold  in  a  field  over  there." 

So  they  went,  Tom  holding  the  Leprechaun 
very  tightly,  and  never  taking  his  eyes  off  him. 
They  crossed  hedges  and  ditches  and  a  crooked 
bit  of  bog,  until  they  came  to  a  great  field  of  rag- 
weed. Then  the  Leprechaun  pointed  to  one  of 
the  weeds,  and  said :  — 

i    "Dig  under  that,  and  you'll  get  a  crock  full  of 
guineas." 


THE  RAGWEED  69 

As  Tom  had  no  spade  with  him,  he  thought  to 
himself:  "I'll  run  home  and  fetch  one.  And  so 
that  I'll  know  the  place  again,  I'll  tie  my  garter 
around  this  weed." 

So  he  tied  his  red  garter  around  the  ragweed. 

"I  suppose,"  said  the  Leprechaun  politely, 
"that  now  you  have  no  further  use  for  me." 

"No,"  said  Tom,  "you  may  go,  if  you  wish. 
And  thank  you  very  kindly,"  he  said,  laughing 
loudly,  "for  showing  me  where  all  your  money 
lies!" 

"Well,  good-bye  to  you,  Tom,"  said  the  little 
man,  "and  much  good  may  it  do  you,  what  you'll 
get,"  said  he;  and  with  that  he  jumped  behind 
the  weed,  and  vanished. 

So  Tom  ran  home  for  dear  life  and  fetched  a 
spade,  and  then  back  as  hard  as  he  could  go  to 
the  field. 

But  when  he  got  there,  lo,  and  behold!  not  a 
ragweed  in  the  whole  field  but  had  a  red  garter, 
just  like  his  own,  tied  to  it!  And  as  for  digging  up 
that  whole  field,  it  was  out  of  the  question,  for 
there  were  more  than  forty  good  Irish  acres  in  it. 

So  Tom  went  home  again  with  his  spade,  a 
little  cooler,  and,  you  may  be  sure,  ashamed  to 
tell  any  one  about  the  neat  turn  the  Leprechaun 
had  served  him. 


THE  BAD  BOY  AND  THE 
LEPRECHAUN 

From  Ireland 

Now,  it  is  well  known  that  if  a  Leprechaun  is 
offended  he  can  be  most  malicious.  So  one  must 
treat  him  politely,  or  he  will  not  reveal  where  the 
pots  of  Fairy  Gold  are  hidden. 

It  happened  one  afternoon  that  a  lad  was  work- 
ing in  the  fields  when  he  heard  at  his  feet,  "Rip! 
Rap!  Tick!  Tack!"  and  looking  down  he  saw  a 
little  fellow  no  bigger  than  his  hand  sitting  under 
a  burdock-leaf,  mending  shoes.  He  grabbed  him 
up,  and  putting  him  in  his  pocket,  ran  home. 
There  was  no  one  in  the  house,  so  he  tied  the 
Leprechaun  to  the  hob,  saying:  — 

"Tell  me,  you  little  rogue,  where  I  may  find  a 
pot  of  gold." 

"That  I  will  not  tell  you,"  replied  the  Lepre- 
chaun, "unless  you  let  me  go,  so  that  I  may  fin- 
ish cobbling  the  Elfin  King's  shoes." 

"I'll  make  you  tell  me  now  where  the  gold  is!" 
said  the  lad. 

And  with  that  he  built  a  rousing  fire  under  the 
Leprechaun  to  roast  him. 

"Oh,  take  me  off!  Take  me  off!"  yelled  the 
little  fellow,  "and  I'll  tell  you!   Just  go  to  the 


BAD  BOY  AND  THE  LEPRECHAUN    71 

burdock-leaf  under  which  I  was  sitting,  and  there 
is  the  pot  of  gold.  Only  go,  dig,  and  find  it,  be- 
fore the  sun  sets." 

The  lad  was  so  delighted  that,  without  stop- 
ping to  untie  the  Leprechaun,  he  ran  out  of  the 
house.  It  happened  that  his  mother  was  just 
coming  in  with  a  pail  of  new  milk.  He  hit  the 
pail  and  spilt  the  milk  on  the  floor,  but  he  ran  on 
laughing.  And  when  his  mother  saw  the  Lepre- 
chaun struggling  on  the  hob,  she  was  furiously 
angry. 

"See  what  bad  luck  you  have  brought  us,  you 
rogue!"  she  cried.  And  with  that  she  untied  the 
little  fellow  and  kicked  him  out  of  the  house. 

But  the  lad  ran  on  until  he  came  to  the  bur- 
dock-leaf; and  he  dug,  and  dug,  and  dug,  but 
there  was  no  pot  of  gold  there,  for  the  sun  had 
set.  So  he  started  sorrowfully  for  home,  and  just 
as  he  was  passing  an  old  fort  he  heard  laughter, 
and  a  squeaky  voice  crying  out:  — 

"That  boy  is  looking  for  a  pot  of  gold!  ha!  ha! 
But  little  does  he  know  that  a  whole  crock  full 
is  lying  at  the  bottom  of  the  old  quarry.  Only 
he  must  go  to  fetch  it  at  midnight,  and  he  must 
not  take  his  mother  with  him." 

When  the  lad  heard  this  he  hurried  home  and 
told  his  mother.  At  midnight  he  started  out, 
after  ordering  her  to  stay  in  the  house.  But  as 
soon  as  he  was  gone  she  thought  to  herself:  "I'll 


72      BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

get  to  the  quarry  before  he  does,  and  find  and 
keep  the  gold!" 

So  she  ran  by  a  shorter  way,  and  when  she 
reached  the  edge  of  the  quarry  she  slipped  on  a 
stone,  fell  to  the  bottom,  and  broke  her  leg.  And 
there  she  lay  groaning  dreadfully. 

Soon  the  lad  came  along,  and  just  as  he  was 
going  to  climb  down  he  heard  some  one  groan. 

"What's  below?"  he  cried  in  a  fright.  "Is  it 
evil?  Is  it  good?" 

"It's  your  mother  with  a  broken  leg,"  groaned 
she. 

"And  is  this  my  pot  of  gold!"  exclaimed  the 
lad,  angrily. 

And  with  that  he  ran  for  a  neighbour,  and  to- 
gether they  drew  the  woman  up  and  took  her 
home.  And  from  that  day  on  she  was  lame. 

As  for  the  Leprechaun,  he  is  still  sitting  under 
the  burdock-leaf,  and  he  laughs  at  the  lad  and  his 
mother,  as  he  mends  his  little  shoes  with  his  tiny 
hammer,  Rip !  Rap !  Tick !  Tack !  —  but  they  are 
afraid  to  touch  him,  for  they  know  he  can  punish 
them  badly. 


TOM  AND  THE  KNOCKERS 

From  Cornwall 

From  the  time  that  Tom  was  old  enough  to  han- 
dle pick  and  shovel,  he  had  worked  in  the  tin 
mines.  And  very  lucky  he  was,  always  finding 
rich  lodes  of  tin,  or  stumbling  on  heaps  of  Cor- 
nish diamonds  that  some  unknown  hands  had 
piled  up  to  carry  off. 

One  night  Tom  was  working  hard  in  an  old 
mine  —  a  very  ancient  mine  indeed  —  when  he 
heard  sounds  like  those  of  tiny  shovels  and 
picks. 

"Tis  the  Knockers !"  said  Tom  to  himself, 
and  he  listened  quietly.  Then  he  heard,  as  if 
only  two  or  three  yards  away,  little  miners  do- 
ing all  sorts  of  underground  work.  Some  were 
wheeling  barrows,  others  were  shovelling;  and  he 
could  distinguish  even  the  sounds  of  boring, 
swabbing  the  holes,  and  blasting. 

The  noises  came  nearer  and  nearer,  and  Tom 
heard  distinctly  many  squeaky  voices  all  talking 
at  once,  and  strange  cackling  laughter.  He  grew 
quite  savage  listening  to  all  this  clatter,  and  to 
the  squeaking  and  tee-hee-ing;  and  being  a  rash 
fellow,  he  struck  the  wall  before  him  violently 
with  his  pick,  and  threw  a  handful  of  stones  in 


74      BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

the  direction  where  the  Knockers  seemed  to  be 
working. 

"Scat!"  he  shouted,  "or  I'll  beat  your  brains 
out,  I  will,  if  you  don't  leave  here!" 

The  words  were  scarcely  out  of  his  mouth,  when 
a  shower  of  stones  fell  all  around  him,  and  on 
him,  and  frightened  him  nearly  out  of  his  senses. 
Still  he  was  resolved  to  work  there  until  morning 
and  so  he  kept  on  using  his  pick  for  about  an 
hour.  Then,  as  his  candle  was  burned  out,  he 
stopped,  lit  another,  and  sat  down  to  eat  his 
breakfast. 

He  had  almost  finished  his  bread  and  cheese, 
when  he  heard  many  little  squeaking  voices,  some 
far  away,  and  others  close  to  him,  crying  out :  — 

"Tom!  Tom!  Leave  us  a  bite  of  your  break- 
fast, or  bad  luck  to  you,  to-morrow,  Tom!" 

At  first  he  could  not  make  out  the  words,  only 
his  own  name,  then  the  cries  sounded  very  plain, 
and  he  was  angry.  "Leave  the  little  rogues  a  bite 
of  my  good  breakfast!"  thought  he,  "not  a  crumb 
of  it  do  they  get!"  And  with  that  he  ate  the  last 
morsel. 

Then  he  heard  the  little  voices  squeaking 
louder  than  before :  — 

"Tom!  Tom!  We'll  send  you  bad  luck  to- 
morrow, Tom!  you  greedy  creature  not  to  leave 
a  single  crumb  for  the  Knockers!" 

And  they  kept  on  squeaking,  and  tee-heeing 


TOM  AND  THE  KNOCKERS         75 

in  a  mocking  way;  but  getting  farther  and  farther 
in  the  distance  until  they  were  quite  gone. 

Then  Tom  felt  tired  and  drowsy,  and  lay  down 
on  the  floor  to  sleep  awhile. 

When  he  waked,  the  place  was  very  still.  He 
rubbed  his  eyes,  and  saw  a  score  of  Knockers 
leaning  on  their  tools,  and  standing  in  a  circle 
around  him.  They  were  little,  withered  old  men, 
with  legs  like  drum-sticks,  and  arms  longer  and 
thinner  than  their  legs.  They  kept  nodding  their 
great  ugly  heads,  squinting  their  horrid  eyes, 
wriggling  their  hooked  noses,  and  grinning  from 
ear  to  ear. 

Tom  lay  there  trembling  and  frightened  al- 
most to  death.  Then  the  oldest  and  ugliest  of 
the  Knockers  came  close  to  him,  and  stooping, 
made  the  most  horrid  grimaces  in  Tom's  face; 
while  all  the  others  lolled  out  their  tongues,  and 
rolled  themselves  into  balls,  and  grinned  at  him 
from  between  their  spindle-legs. 

Then  Tom  saw  that  his  candle  was  sputtering 
and  just  going  out,  and  he  sprang  to  his  feet  to 
light  another.  As  he  did  so,  all  the  little  men 
vanished.  They  seemed  to  melt  away  one  into 
the  other  like  puffs  of  smoke. 

Feeling  very  stiff  and  tired,  Tom  mounted  the 
ladders,  and  left  the  mine.  When  he  told  the  old 
tinners  what  he  had  seen,  they  were  not  sur- 
prised, for  it  was  well  known  among  them  that 


76      BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

the  mine  Tom  had  been  working  in  was  the  abode 
of  troops  of  Knockers.  But  the  tinners,  one  and 
all,  blamed  Tom  for  speaking  to  the  little  men 
in  an  unfriendly  way,  and  for  not  leaving  them 
a  bite  of  his  breakfast. 

From  that  time  on,  all  Tom's  luck  was  gone. 
The  mines  closed  down,  and  his  money  went, 
and  he  was  hurt  by  a  fall.  And  though  he  tried 
hard  to  find  the  Knockers  again,  so  that  he 
might  feed  them  well,  he  never  saw  one,  nor  even 
heard  the  sounds  of  their  picks  and  shovels  in 
the  mine. 


THE  KNOCKERS'  DIAMONDS 

From  Cornwall 

JACK  THE  TINNER'S  STORY 

One  night  I  was  working  away  for  dear  life,  in 
yonder  old  tin  mine.  I  was  in  good  heart,  be- 
cause at  every  stroke  of  my  tool  I  heard  three  or 
four  clicks  from  Knockers  who  were  working 
ahead.  By  the  sounds  they  seemed  to  be  very 
near. 

Just  then  a  hard  stroke  of  my  pick  broke  open 
the  rock  in  front  of  me,  and  I  saw  into  a  large 
grotto.  The  light  of  my  candle  fell  on  its  walls, 
and  my  eyes  were  dazzled  by  the  glistening  of 
bunches  of  diamonds  and  crystals  of  all  colours 
that  hung  down  from  the  roof,  and  encrusted 
the  sides. 

While  I  was  rubbing  my  eyes,  I  saw  three  little 
Knockers.  They  were  no  bigger  than  sixpenny 
dolls,  yet  their  faces  were  old  and  strange.  The 
eldest  one  was  sitting  on  a  stone,  his  jacket  off, 
and  his  shirt-sleeves  rolled  up.  Between  his 
knees  he  held  a  tiny  anvil,  and  he  was  sharpening 
a  borer  about  the  size  of  a  needle,  for  one  of  the 
Knockers.  The  third  little  fellow  was  awaiting 
his  turn,  pick-axe  in  hand. 


78      BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

When  the  Knocker-smith  had  finished  sharp- 
ening the  borer,  he  rested  his  hammer  on  the 
anvil,  and  looked  toward  me. 

"What  cheer,  comrade?"  he  said.  "I  could  not 
think  from  where  the  cold  wind  was  coming.  The 
draught  from  your  hole  has  blown  out  my  light." 

"Oh!  Good-morning!  Is  that  you?  How  are 
you?"  said  I.  "And  how  is  the  rest  of  your  fam- 
ily? I  am  glad  to  see  you.  I'll  fetch  you  my 
candle  in  a  minute,  that  you  may  see  better.  In 
fact,  I'll  give  you  a  pound  of  candles,  my  dear, 
with  all  my  heart,  if  you  want  them,"  said  I. 

In  less  than  no  time  I  put  my  hand  through  the 
hole  to  give  him  my  candle,  when,  what  do  you 
think?  —  there  was  n't  a  Knocker  in  sight! 

"Where  are  they  gone?"  thought  I.  Then  I 
heard  them  somewhere  in  the  lode  ahead,  tee- 
heeing,  and  cackling,  and  squeaking  like  young 
rabbits. 

And  there  I  was  left  in  their  pretty  workshop, 
with  bunches  of  diamonds  all  around  me.  I  laid 
my  coat  on  the  floor,  and  filled  it  with  diamonds 
and  coloured  crystals,  and  then  hurried  out  of 
the  mine.  But  when  I  went  back  to  get  some 
more,  the  rocks  had  caved  in,  and  I  never  could 
find  the  grotto  again. 


SKILLYWIDDEN 

From  Cornwall 

Every  one  knows  that  before  King  Arthur  ruled 
in  Britain,  the  Danes  conquered  Cornwall.  Then 
many  of  the  rich  Cornish  folk  buried  their  gold 
and  treasures,  and  fled  to  the  land  of  Wales.  A 
few  years  after  that  King  Arthur  came  with  his 
knights,  and  drove  the  Danes  out  of  Cornwall. 
Then  the  folk  came  back,  but  never  again  could 
they  find  their  buried,  treasures.  And  to-day 
none  but  the  Spriggans  know  where  the  gold  is 
hidden. 

Well,  one  morning  not  very  long  ago  Uncle 
Billy  of  Trevidga  was  out  on  the  side  of  a  hill, 
cutting  away  the  furze  that  was  as  high  as  his 
head,  with  bare  places  here  and  there  covered 
with  white  clover,  heath,  and  whortleberries. 
Uncle  Billy  was  working  hard,  when  he  spied  the 
prettiest  little  creature,  a  real  little  man,  not 
bigger  than  a  kitten,  sleeping  on  a  bank  of  wild 
thyme.  He  was  dressed  in  a  green  coat,  sky-blue 
breeches,  and  diamond-buckled  shoes.  His  tiny 
cocked  hat  was  drawn  over  his  face,  to  shade  it 
from  the  sun. 

Uncle  Billy  stooped  and  looked  at  him,  and 
longed  to  carry  him  home  to  his  children,  for  he 


80      BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

had  a  houseful  of  little  ones,  boys  and  girls.  So 
he  took  off  his  cuff,  and  slipped  it  quickly  over 
the  Spriggan  —  for  a  Spriggan  it  was  that  lay 
there  —  before  he  could  wake. 

The  little  fellow  opened  his  pretty  eyes,  and 
said  in  a  sleepy  voice:  "Mammy!  Where  are 
you?  Mammy!  Daddy!"  Then  he  saw  Uncle 
Billy  looking  at  him.  "Who  are  you?"  he 
said.  "You're  a  fine,  great  giant!  I  want  my 
Mammy!   Can  you  find  her  for  me?" 

"I  do  not  know  where  she  is,"  answered  Uncle 
Billy.  "But  come  home  with  me,  and  play  with 
my  children,  until  your  Mammy  finds  you." 

"Very  well,"  said  the  Spriggan.  "I  love  to 
ride  goats  over  the  rocks,  and  to  have  milk  and 
blackberries  for  supper.  Will  you  give  me  some?  " 

"Yes,  my  son,"  said  Uncle  Billy;  and  with 
that  he  picked  up  the  Spriggan  gently,  and  car- 
ried him  home. 

Well,  you  should  have  seen  the  children !  They 
were  so  happy  to  own  a  Spriggan!  They  set  the 
little  fellow  on  the  hearth,  and  he  played  with 
them  as  if  he  had  known  them  always.  Uncle 
Billy  and  his  wife  were  delighted,  and  the  chil- 
dren shouted  for  joy,  when  the  pretty  little  man 
capered  and  jumped  about.  They  called  him 
Bobby  Spriggan.  Twice  a  day  they  gave  him  a 
wee  mug  of  milk  and  a  few  blackberries,  and  now 
and  then  some  haws  for  a  change. 


SKILLYWIDDEN  81 

In  the  mornings,  while  Uncle  Billy's  wife  and 
the  children  were  doing  the  housework,  Bobby 
Spriggan  sat  perched  on  the  faggots  in  the  wood- 
corner,  and  sang  and  chirped  away  like  a  Robin 
Redbreast. 

When  the  hearth  was  swept,  and  the  kitchen 
made  tidy,  and  Uncle  Billy's  wife  was  knitting, 
Bobby  would  dance  for  hours  on  the  hearth- 
stone. The  faster  her  needles  clicked,  the  faster 
he  danced  and  spun  around  and  around.  And 
the  children  laughed  and  clapped  their  hands, 
and  danced  with  him. 

A  week  or  so  after  Bobby  Spriggan  had  been 
found,  Uncle  Billy  had  to  leave  home.  As  he 
wished  to  keep  the  little  fellow  safe  and  sound 
until  he  told  where  the  crocks  of  Cornish  gold 
were  hidden,  Uncle  Billy  shut  him  up  with  the 
youngest  children  in  the  barn,  and  put  a  strong 
padlock  on  the  door. 

"Now  stay  in  the  barn  and  play,"  called  Uncle 
Billy  to  the  children.  "And  don't  try  to  get  out, 
or  when  I  come  home  you'll  get  a  walloping," 
said  he,  and  then  went  away. 

The  children  laughed  a  part  of  the  time,  and  a 
part  of  the  time  they  cried,  for  they  did  not  like 
to  be  locked  in  the  barn.  But  Bobby  Spriggan 
was  as  merry  as  a  cricket.  He  danced  and  sang, 
and  peeped  through  the  cracks  in  the  wall  at  the 
men  who  were  working  in  the  fields.  And  when 


82      BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

the  men  went  to  dinner,  up  jumped  Bobby  and 
unbarred  a  window. 

"Come  along,  children!"  he  cried.  "Now  for 
a  game  of  hide-and-seek  in  the  furze!" 

Then  he  sprang  out  the  window,  and  the  chil- 
dren followed  after.  And  away  they  all  ran  to 
play  in  the  furze. 

They  were  shouting  and  throwing  whortle- 
berries about,  when  suddenly  they  saw  a  little 
man  and  woman  no  bigger  than  Bobby.  The 
little  man  was  dressed  like  Bobby,  except  that 
he  wore  high  riding-boots  with  silver  spurs.  The 
little  woman's  green  gown  was  spangled  with 
glittering  stars.  Diamond  shoe-buckles  shone  on 
her  high-heeled  shoes,  and  her  tiny  steeple- 
crowned  hat  was  perched  on  a  pile  of  golden 
curls,  wreathed  with  heath  blossoms.  The  pretty 
little  soul  was  weeping  and  wringing  her  hands, 
and  crying :  — 

"O  my  dear,  tender  Skilly widden !  Where 
canst  thou  be!  Shall  I  never  set  eyes  on  thee 
again,  my  only  one,  my  only  joy?" 

"Go  back!  Go  back!"  cried  Bobby  Spriggan 
to  the  children.  Then  he  called  out:  "Here  I  am, 
Mammy!" 

And  just  as  he  said,  "Here  I  am,"  the  little  man 
and  the  little  woman,  and  Bobby  Spriggan  him- 
self, who  was  their  precious  Skillywidden,  van- 
ished, and  were  seen  no  more. 


SKILLYWIDDEN  83 

The  children  cried  and  cried,  and  went  home. 
And  when  Uncle  Billy  came  back  you  may  be 
sure  that  he  whipped  them  all  soundly.  And  it 
served  them  right,  for  if  they  had  minded  and 
stayed  in  the  barn,  Bobby  Spriggan  would  have 
shown  Uncle  Billy  where  the  Cornish  gold  was 
hidden. 


THE  LEPRECHAUN,  OR  FAIRY 
SHOEMAKER 

Stranger 
Little  Cowboy,  what  have  you  heard, 
T/p  on  the  lonely  rath's  green  mound? 

Little  Cowboy 
Only  the  plaintive  yellowbird 
Sighing  in  sultry  fields  around, 
"Chary,  chary,  chary,  chee-ee! — " 
Only  the  grasshopper  and  the  bee. 

Fairy  Shoemaker  (singing  underground) 

Tip-tap,  rip-rap, 

Tick-a-tack-too ! 
Scarlet  leather,  sewn  together, 

This  will  make  a  shoe.  ( 
Left,  right,  pull  it  tight; 

Summer  days  are  warm; 
Underground  in  Winter, 

Laughing  at  the  storm! 

Stranger 
Lay  your  ear  close  to  the  hill. 
Do  you  not  catch  the  tiny  clamour, 
Busy  click  of  an  Elfin  hammer, 
Voice  of  the  Leprechaun  singing  shrill 


THE  FAIRY  SHOEMAKER  85 

As  he  merrily  plies  his  trade? 
He 's  a  span 

And  a  quarter  in  height. 
Get  him  in  sight,  hold  him  tight, 
And  you  're  a  made 
Man! 
You  watch  your  cattle  the  Summer  day, 
Sup  on  potatoes,  sleep  in  the  hay; 

How  would  you  like  to  roll  in  your  car- 
riage, 
Look  for  a  Duchess's  daughter  in  mar- 
riage? 
Seize  the  Shoemaker  —  then  you  may! 

Fairy  Shoemaker  (singing  underground) 

Big  boots  a-hunting, 

Sandals  in  the  hall, 
White  for  a  wedding-feast, 

Pink  for  a  ball. 
This  way,  that  way, 

So  we  make  a  shoe; 
Getting  rich  every  stitch, 

Tick-a-tack-too ! 

Stranger 

Nine-and-ninety  treasure-crocks 
This  keen  Miser-Fairy  hath, 
Hid  in  mountains,  woods,  and  rocks, 
Ruin  and  round-tow'r,  cave  and  rath, 


86      BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

And  where  the  cormorants  build; 
From  times  of  old 
Guarded  by  him; 
Each  of  them  filled 
Full  to  the  brim 
With  gold! 
I  caught  him  at  work  one  day,  myself, 
In  the  castle-ditch,  where  Foxglove 
grows,  — 
A  wrinkled,  wizened,  and  bearded  Elf, 
Spectacles  stuck  on  his  pointed  nose, 
Silver  buckles  to  his  hose, 
Leather  apron  —  shoe  in  his  lap  — 

Fairy  Shoemaker  (singing  underground) 

Rip-rap,  tip-tap, 

Tick-a-tack-too ! 
(A  grasshopper  on  my  cap! 

Away  the  moth  flew!) 
Buskins  for  a  Fairy  Prince, 

Brogues  for  his  son,  — 
Pay  me  well,  pay  me  well, 

When  the  job  is  done! 

Stranger 

The  rogue  was  mine,  beyond  a  doubt. 
I  stared  at  him;  he  stared  at  me; 
"Servant,  sir!"   "Humph!"  says  he, 
And  pulled  a  snuff-box  out. 


THE  FAIRY  SHOEMAKER  87 

He  took  a  long  pinch,  looked  better  pleased, 

The  queer  little  Leprechaun; 
Offered  the  box  with  a  whimsical  grace,  — 
Pouf !  he  flung  the  dust  in  my  face, 
And,  while  I  sneezed, 
Was  gone! 

William  Allingham 


GLAD  LITTLE,  SAD  LITTLE, 
BAD  LITTLE  ELVES 


Saint  Francis  and  Saint  Benedict, 
Bless  this  house  from  wicked  wig)it; 
From  the  Night-mare  and  the  Goblin 
That  is  hight  Good-Fellow  Robin; 
Keep  it  from  all  evil  spirits •, 
Fairies,  weasels,  rats,  and  ferrets, 

From  curfew-time 

To  the  next  prime. 

William  Caetwkight  (1635?) 


LITTLE  REDCAP 

From  Ireland 

Suee  and  it  was  in  old  Ireland,  some  years  ago, 
that  Tom  Coghlan  returned  one  evening  to  his 
house,  expecting  to  find  the  fire  blazing,  the 
potatoes  boiling,  and  his  wife  and  children  as 
merry  as  grigs.  But,  instead,  the  fire  was  out, 
his  wife  was  scolding,  and  the  children  were  all 
crying  from  hunger. 

Poor  Tom  was  quite  astonished  to  find  mat- 
ters going  on  so  badly,  for,  though  there  was  a 
plenty  of  potatoes  in  the  house,  there  was  n't  a 
single  stick  of  wood  for  the  fire.  Something  had 
to  be  done.  And  Tom  bethought  himself  of  the 
great  furze-bushes  that  grew  around  the  ruins 
of  the  old  fort  on  top  of  the  near-by  hill.  So  he 
snatched  up  his  axe  and  away  he  went. 

Before  he  reached  the  top  of  the  hill  the  sun 
had  gone  down,  and  the  moon  had  risen  and  was 
shedding  her  wavering,  watery  light  on  the  ruins 
of  the  old  fort.  The  breeze  rustled  the  dark 
furze-bushes  with  an  eerie  sound,  and  Tom  shiv- 
ered with  dread.  But  he  braced  up  his  heart,  and, 
approaching  the  fort,  raised  his  axe  to  cut  down 
a  big  bush.  Just  then,  near  him,  he  heard  the 
shriek  of  a  small,  shrill  voice. 


92      BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

Tom,  startled,  let  the  axe  fall  from  his  grasp, 
and,  looking  up,  saw  perched  on  the  furze-bush 
in  front  of  him  a  little  old  man,  not  more  than  a 
foot  and  a  half  high.  He  wore  a  red  cap.  His 
face  was  the  colour  of  a  withered  mushroom, 
while  his  sparkling  eyes,  twinkling  like  diamonds 
in  the  dark,  illuminated  his  distorted  face.  His 
thin  legs  dangled  from  his  fat,  round  body. 

"Ho!  Ho!"  said  the  Little  Redcap,  "is  that 
what  you're  after,  Tom  Coghlan?  What  did  me 
and  mine  ever  do  to  you  that  you  should  cut 
down  our  bushes?" 

"Why,  then,  nothing  at  all,  your  honour!" 
said  Tom,  recovering  a  bit  from  his  fright,  "noth- 
ing at  all!  Only  the  children  were  crying  from 
hunger,  and  I  thought  I'd  make  bold  to  cut  a 
bush  or  two  to  boil  the  potatoes,  for  we  have  n't 
a  stick  in  the  house." 

"You  must  n't  cut  down  these  bushes,  Tom!" 
said  the  Little  Redcap.  "But,  as  you  are  an 
honest  man,  I'll  buy  them  from  you,  though  I 
have  a  better  right  to  them  than  you  have.  So, 
if  you'll  take  my  advice,  carry  this  mill  home 
with  you,  and  let  the  bushes  alone,"  said  the 
Little  Redcap,  holding  out  a  tiny  stone  mill  for 
grinding  meal. 

"Mill,  indeed!"  said  Tom,  looking  with  aston- 
ishment at  the  thing,  which  was  so  small  that  he 
could  have  put  it  with  ease  into  his  breeches 


LITTLE  REDCAP  93 

pocket.  "Mill,  indeed!  And  what  good  will  a 
bit  of  a  thing  like  that  do  me?  Sure,  it  won't 
boil  the  potatoes  for  the  children !  " 

"  What  good  will  it  do  you?  "  said  the  Little 
Redcap.  "I'll  tell  you  what  good  it  will  do  you! 
It  will  make  you  and  your  family  as  fat  and 
strong  as  so  many  stall-fed  bullocks.  And  if  it 
won't  boil  the  potatoes,  it  will  do  a  great  deal 
better,  for  you  have  only  to  grind  it,  and  it  will 
give  you  the  greatest  plenty  of  elegant  meal. 
But  if  you  ever  sell  any  of  the  meal,  that  mo- 
ment the  mill  will  lose  its  power." 

"It's  a  bargain,"  said  Tom.  "So  give  me  the 
mill,  and  you're  heartily  welcome  to  the  bushes." 

"There  it  is  for  you,  Tom,"  said  the  Little 
Redcap,  throwing  the  mill  down  to  him;  "there 
it  is  for  you,  and  much  good  may  it  do  you! 
But  remember  you  are  not  to  sell  the  meal  on 
any  account."  J 

"Let  me  alone  for  that!"  said  Tom. 

And  then  he  made  the  best  of  his  way  home, 
where  his  wife  was  trying  to  comfort  the  children, 
wondering  all  the  time  what  in  the  world  was 
keeping  Tom.  And  when  she  saw  him  return 
without  so  much  as  one  stick  of  wood  to  boil  the 
potatoes,  her  anger  burst  out.  But  Tom  soon 
quieted  her  by  placing  the  mill  on  the  table  and 
telling  her  how  he  had  got  it  from  the  Little 
Redcap. 


94      BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

"We'll  try  it  directly,"  said  she.  And  they 
pulled  the  table  into  the  middle  of  the  floor,  and 
commenced  grinding  away  with  the  mill.  Before 
long  a  stream  of  beautiful  meal  began  pouring 
from  it;  and  in  a  short  time  they  had  filled  every 
dish  and  pail  in  the  house.  Tom's  wife  was  de- 
lighted, as  you  may  believe,  and  the  children 
managed  the  best  they  could  for  that  night  by 
eating  plenty  of  raw  meal. 

Well,  after  that  everything  went  very  well  with 
Tom  and  his  family.  The  mill  gave  them  all  the 
meal  they  wanted,  and  they  grew  as  fat  and  sleek 
as  coach-horses.  But  one  morning  when  Tom  was 
away  from  home,  his  wife  needed  money.  So 
she  took  a  few  pecks  of  the  meal  to  town  and  sold 
it  in  the  market. 

And  sorry  enough  she  was,  for  that  night,  when 
Tom  came  home  and  began  to  grind  the  mill, 
not  a  speck  of  meal  would  come  from  it!  He 
could  not  for  the  life  of  him  find  out  the  reason, 
for  his  wife  was  afraid  to  tell  him  about  her 
selling  the  meal. 

"Sure,  and  the  little  old  fellow  cheated  me 
well!"  thought  Tom,  as  mad  as  a  nest  of  hornets. 
So  he  put  his  axe  under  his  arm,  and  away  he 
went  to  the  old  fort,  determined  to  punish  the 
Little  Redcap  by  cutting  down  his  bushes.  But 
scarcely  had  he  lifted  his  axe,  when  the  Little  Red- 
cap appeared,  and  mighty  angry  he  was,  too, 


LITTLE  REDCAP  95 

that  Tom  should  come  cutting  his  bushes,  after 
having  made  a  fair  bargain  with  him. 

"You  deceitful,  little,  ugly  vagabond!"  cried 
Tom,  flourishing  his  axe,  "to  give  me  a  mill 
that  was  n't  worth  a  sixpence!  If  you  don't 
give  me  a  good  one  for  it,  I'll  cut  down  every 
bush!" 

"What  a  blusterer  you  are,  Tom!"  said  the 
Little  Redcap,  "but  you'd  better  be  easy  and 
let  the  bushes  alone,  or  maybe  you'll  pay  for  it! 
Deceive  you,  indeed!  Did  n't  I  tell  you  that 
mill  would  lose  its  power  if  you  sold  any  of  the 
meal?" 

"And  sure  and  I  did  n't,  either,"  said  Tom. 

"Well,  it 's  all  one  for  that,"  answered  the  Little 
Redcap,  "for  if  you  did  n't,  your  wife  did.  And 
as  to  giving  you  another  mill,  it's  out  of  the  ques- 
tion. For  the  one  I  gave  you  was  the  only  one 
in  the  fort.  And  a  hard  battle  we  had  to  get  it 
away  from  another  party  of  the  Good  People! 
But  I'll  tell  you  what  I'll  do  with  you,  Tom; 
let  the  bushes  alone,  and  I'll  make  a  doctor  of 

you." 

"A  doctor,  indeed!"  said  Tom.  "Maybe  it's 
a  fool  you're  making  of  me!" 

But  it  was  no  such  thing,  for  the  Little  Red- 
cap gave  Tom  Coghlan  a  charm  so  that  he  could 
cure  any  sick  person.  And  Tom  took  it  home, 
and  became  a  great  man  with  a  very  full  purse. 


96      BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

He  gave  good  schooling  to  his  children.  One  of 
them  he  made  a  grand  butter-merchant  in  the 
city  of  Cork,  and  the  youngest  son  —  being  ever 
and  always  a  well-spoken  lad  —  he  made  a  law- 
yer; and  his  two  daughters  married  well. 
And  Tom  is  as  happy  as  a  man  can  be! 


THE  CURMUDGEON'S  SKIN 

I  From  Ireland 

It  is  well  known  in  old  Ireland  that  a  Four-leaved 
Shamrock  has  the  power  to  open  a  man's  eyes 
so  that  he  can  see  all  kinds  of  enchantments,  and 
this  is  what  happened  to  Billy  Thompson :  — 

One  misfortune  after  another  decreased  his 
goods.  His  sheep  died;  and  his  pig  got  the  mea- 
sles, so  that  he  was  obliged  to  sell  it  for  little  or 
nothing.   But  still  he  had  his  cow. 

"Well,"  said  Billy  to  his  wife,  for  he  was  a 
good-humoured  fellow,  and  always  made  the  best 
of  things,  —  "Well!"  said  he,  "it  can't  be  helped! 
Anyhow,  we'll  not  want  the  drop  of  milk  to  our 
potatoes,  as  long  as  the  cow's  left  to  comfort 
us!"  -       - 

The  words  were  hardly  out  of  his  mouth  when 
a  neighbour  came  running  up  to  tell  him  that  his 
cow  had  fallen  from  a  cliff,  and  was  lying  dead 
in  the  Horses'  Glen.  For  Billy,  you  must  know, 
had  sent  his  cow  that  very  morning  to  graze  on 
the  cliff. 

"Och!  Ullagone!"  cried  Billy.  "What '11  we 
do  now!  Och!  you  cruel,  unnatural  beast  as  to 
clift  yourself,  when  you  knowed  as  well  as  my- 
self that  we  could  n't  do  without  you  at  all !  For 


98      BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

sure  enough  now  the  children  will  be  crying  for 
the  drop  of  milk  to  their  potatoes!" 

Such  was  Billy's  lament,  as  with  a  sorrowful 
heart  he  made  the  best  of  his  way  to  the  Horses' 
Glen.  "Anyway,"  thought  he,  "I'll  skin  the  car- 
cass, and  the  meat  will  make  fine  broth  for  the 
children." 

It  took  him  some  time  to  find  where  the  poor 
beast  was  lying,  but  at  last  he  did  find  her,  all 
smashed  to  pieces  at  the  foot  of  a  big  rock.  And 
he  began  to  skin  her  as  fast  as  he  could,  but  hav- 
ing no  one  to  help  him,  by  the  time  the  job  was 
finished,  the  sun  had  gone  down. 

Now  Billy  was  so  intent  on  his  work  that  he 
did  not  perceive  the  lapse  of  time,  but  when  he 
raised  his  head  and  saw  the  darkness  coming  on, 
and  listened  to  the  murmuring  wind,  all  the  tales 
he  had  ever  heard  of  the  Pooka,  the  Banshee, 
and  Little  Redcap,  the  mischievous  Fairy, 
floated  through  his  mind,  and  made  him  want  to 
get  home  as  fast  as  possible.  He  snatched  a  tuft 
of  grass,  wiped  his  knife,  and  seized  hold  of  the 
hide. 

It  so  happened  that  in  the  little  tuft  of  grass 
with  which  Billy  wiped  his  knife  was  a  Four- 
leaved  Shamrock.  And  whether  from  grief  or 
fear,  Billy,  instead  of  throwing  away  the  grass, 
put  it  in  his  pocket  along  with  his  knife.  And 
when  he  stood  up  and  turned  to  take  a  last  look 


THE  CURMUDGEON'S  SKIN         99 

at  the  carcass  he  saw,  instead  of  his  poor  cow,  a 
little  old  Curmudgeon  sitting  bolt  upright,  look- 
ing as  if  he  had  just  been  skinned  alive! 

"Billy  Thompson!  Billy  Thompson,"  cried 
the  little  old  fellow  in  a  shrill,  squeaking  voice. 
"You  spalpeen!  You'd  better  come  back  with 
my  skin!  A  pretty  time  of  day  we've  come  to, 
when  a  gentleman  like  me  cannot  take  a  bit  of 
sleep  but  a  rude  fellow  must  come  and  strip  the 
hide  off  him!  But  you'd  better  bring  it  back, 
Billy  Thompson,  or  I'll  make  you  remember 
how  you  dared  to  skin  me,  you  spalpeen!" 

Now  Billy,  though  he  was  greatly  frightened, 
remembered  that  he  had  a  black-handled  knife 
in  his  pocket,  and  whoever  has  that,  't  is  said, 
can  look  all  the  Fairies  of  the  world  in  the  face 
without  quaking.  So  he  put  his  hand  on  the  knife, 
and  began  backing  away,  with  the  skin  under  his 
arm. 

"Why,  then,  your  honour,"  said  he,  "if  it's 
this  skin  you're  wanting,  you  must  know  it's 
the  skin  of  my  poor  cow  that  was  clifted  yonder 
there.  And  sore  and  sorrowful  the  children  will 
be  for  the  want  of  her  little  drop  of  milk!" 

"Why,  then,  if  that's  what  you'd  be  after, 
Billy,  my  boy,"  said  the  little  fellow,  at  the  same 
time  jumping  before  him  with  the  speed  of  a 
greyhound,  "do  you  think  I'm  such  a  fool 
as  to  let  you  walk  off  with  my  skin?    If  you 


100    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES  \ 

don't  drop  it  in  the  turn  of  a  hand,  you'll  sup 
sorrow!" 

"Nonsense!"  said  Billy,  drawing  out  his  black- 
handled  knife,  and  holding  it  so  the  little  man 
could  see  it.  "  Never  a  one  of  me  will  let  you 
have  this  skin  till  you  give  me  back  my  cow.  I 
know  well  enough  she  was  not  clifted  at  all,  at 
all,  and  that  you  and  the  other  Curmudgeons 
have  got  hold  of  her!" 

"You'd  better  keep  a  civil  tongue  in  your 
head,"  said  the  little  fellow,  who  seemed  to  get 
quite  soft  at  the  sight  of  the  knife.  "But  you're 
a  brave  boy,  Billy  Thompson,  and  I've  taken  a 
fancy  to  you!  I  don't  say  but  I  might  get  you 
your  cow  again,  if  you  '11  give  me  back  my  skin." 

"Thank  you  kindly,"  said  Billy,  winking  slyly. 
"Give  me  the  cow  first;  then  I  will." 

"Well,  there  she  is  for  you,  you  unbelieving 
hound!"  said  the  little  Curmudgeon. 

And  for  sure  and  for  certain,  what  did  Billy 
Thompson  hear  but  his  own  cow  bellowing  behind 
him  for  the  bare  life!  And  when  he  looked  back 
what  should  he  see  but  his  cow  running  over  rocks 
and  stones  with  a  long  rope  hanging  to  one  of  her 
legs,  and  four  little  fellows,  with  red  caps  on  them, 
hunting  her  as  fast  as  they  could ! 

"There'll  be  a  battle  for  her,  Billy!  There'll 
be  a  battle!"  laughed  the  little  Curmudgeon. 

And  sure  enough,  the  little  Redcaps  began  to 


THE  CURMUDGEON'S  SKIN       101 

fight,  and  in  the  meantime  the  cow,  finding  her- 
self at  liberty,  ran  towards  Billy,  who  lost  not  a 
minute,  but,  throwing  the  skin  on  the  ground, 
seized  the  cow  by  the  tail  and  began  to  drive 
her  away. 

"Not  so  fast,  Billy!"  said  the  little  Curmudg- 
eon, who  stuck  close  by  his  side;  "not  so  fast! 
Though  I  gave  you  the  cow,  I  did  n't  give  you 
the  rope  that's  hanging  to  her  leg." 

"A  bargain's  a  bargain,"  said  Billy,  "so  as 
I've  got  it,  I'll  keep  rope  and  all." 

"If  you  say  that  again,"  said  the  little  fellow, 
"I'll  be  after  calling  the  Redcaps  that  are  fight- 
ing below  there.  But  I  don't  want  to  be  too  hard 
on  you,  Billy,  for  if  you  have  a  mind  for  the  rope, 
I'll  give  it  to  you  for  the  little  tuft  of  grass  you 
have  in  your  pocket." 

"There,  take  it,"  said  Billy,  throwing  down 
the  grass  with  the  Four-leaved  Shamrock  in  it. 

No  sooner  was  it  out  of  his  hand  than  he  re- 
ceived such  a  blow  that  it  dashed  him  to  the 
ground,  insensible.  When  he  came  to  himself, 
the  sun  was  shining,  and  where  should  he  be  but 
near  his  own  house  with  the  cow  grazing  beside 
him?  Billy  Thompson  could  hardly  believe  his 
eyes,  and  thought  it  was  all  a  dream,  till  he  saw 
the  rope  hanging  to  his  cow's  leg. 

And  that  was  a  lucky  rope  for  him !  For,  from 
that  day  out,  his  cow  gave  more  milk  than  any 


102    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

six  cows  in  the  parish,  and  Billy  began  to  look 
up  in  the  world.  He  took  farms,  and  purchased 
cattle  till  he  became  very  rich.  But  no  one  could 
ever  get  him  to  go  to  the  Horses'  Glen.  And  to- 
day he  never  passes  an  old  fort,  or  hears  a  blast 
of  wind,  without  taking  off  his  hat  in  compliment 
to  the  Good  People;  and  't  is  only  right  that  he 
should. 


JUDY  AND  THE  FAIRY  CAT 

From  Ireland 

Late  one  Hallowe'en  an  old  woman  was  sitting 
up  spinning.  There  came  a  soft  knock  at  the 
door. 

"Who's  there?"  asked  she. 

There  was  no  answer,  but  another  knock. 

"Who's  there?"  she  asked  a  second  time. 

Still  no  answer,  but  a  third  knock.  At  that  the 
old  woman  got  up  in  anger. 

"Who's  there?"  she  cried. 

A  small  voice,  like  a  child's,  sobbed:  "Ah, 
Judy  dear,  let  me  in!  I  am  so  cold  and  hungry! 
Open  the  door,  Judy  dear,  and  let  me  sit  by  the 
fire  and  dry  myself!  Judy  dear,  let  me  in!  Oh  — 
let  —  me  —  in ! " 

Judy,  thinking  that  it  must  be  a  small  child 
who  had  lost  its  way,  ran  to  the  door,  and  opened 
it.  In  walked  a  large  Black  Cat  waving  her  tail, 
and  two  black  kittens  followed  her.  They  walked 
deliberately  across  the  floor,  and  sat  down  before 
the  fire,  and  began  to  warm  themselves  and  lick 
their  fur,  purring  all  the  time.  Judy  never  said 
a  word,  but  closed  the  door,  and  went  back  to 
her  spinning. 

At  last  the  Black  Cat  spoke. 


104    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

"Judy  dear,"  said  she,  "do  not  sit  up  so  late. 
This  is  the  Fairies'  holiday,  and  they  wish  to 
hold  a  counsel  in  your  kitchen,  and  eat  their  sup- 
per here.  They  are  very  angry  because  you  are 
still  up,  and  they  cannot  come  in.  Indeed,  Judy, 
they  are  determined  to  kill  you.  Only  for  myself 
and  my  two  daughters,  you  would  now  be  dead. 
So  take  my  advice  and  do  not  interfere  with  the 
Fairies'  Hallowe'en.  But  give  me  some  milk,  for 
I  must  be  off." 

Well,  Judy  got  up  in  a  great  fright  and  ran  as 
fast  as  she  could,  and  brought  three  saucers  full 
of  milk,  and  set  them  on  the  floor  before  the  cats. 
They  lapped  up  all  the  milk,  then  the  Black  Cat 
called  her  daughters  and  stood  up. 

"Thank  you,  Judy  dear,"  she  said.  "You 
have  been  very  civil  to  me,  and  I'll  not  forget. 
Goodnight!  Goodnight!" 

And  with  that  she  and  her  kittens  whisked  up 
the  chimney,  and  were  gone. 

Then  Judy  saw  something  shining  on  the 
hearth.  She  picked  it  up;  it  was  a  piece  of  silver 
money,  more  than  she  could  earn  in  a  month. 
She  put  out  the  light,  and  went  to  bed;  and  never 
again  did  she  sit  up  late  on  Hallowe'en  and  inter- 
fere with  Fairy  hours. 


THE  BOGGART 

From  Yorkshire 

Once  upon  a  time  a  Boggart  lived  in  a  farmer's 
house.  He  was  a  mischievous  Elf,  and  specially 
fond  of  teasing  the  children.  When  they  were 
eating  their  supper,  he  would  make  himself  in- 
visible, and,  standing  back  of  their  chairs,  would 
snatch  away  their  bread  and  butter  and  drain  their 
mugs  of  milk.  On  cold  nights  he  would  pull  the 
clothes  from  their  warm  beds  and  tickle  their  feet. 

And  the  children  liked  to  tease  the  Boggart 
in  return.  There  was  a  closet  in  the  kitchen 
with  a  large  knot-hole  in  its  wall  behind  which 
the  Boggart  lived.  The  children  used  to  stick  a 
shoehorn  into  the  hole;  and  the  Boggart  would 
throw  it  back  at  them.  The  shoehorn  made  the 
little  man  so  angry  that  one  day  he  threw  it  at 
the  youngest  boy's  head  and  hurt  him  badly. 

At  length  the  Boggart  became  such  a  torment 
that  the  farmer  and  his  wife  decided  to  move  to 
another  place  and  let  the  mischievous  creature 
have  their  house  to  himself. 

The  day  of  the  moving  came.  All  the  furniture 
was  piled  into  a  wagon,  and  a  neighbour  called  to 
say  good-bye.  "So,  farmer,"  said  he,  "you  are 
leaving  the  old  house  at  last!" 


106    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

"Heigh-ho!"  sighed  the  farmer,  "I  am  forced 
to  do  it.  That  villain  Boggart  torments  us  so 
that  we  have  no  rest  night  or  day!  He  almost 
killed  my  youngest  boy.  So  you  see  we  are  forced 
to  flit." 

Scarcely  were  the  words  out  of  his  mouth  when 
a  squeaky  voice  cried  from  the  bottom  of  the 
churn,  that  was  in  the  wagon :  — 

' '  Aye !  Aye !  We  're  flitting,  you  see ! " 

"Ods!  Hang  it!"  cried  the  poor  farmer. 
"There  is  that  villain  Boggart  again!  If  he's 
going  along  with  us,  I  shall  not  stir  a  peg.  Nay! 
Nay!  It's  no  use,  Molly,"  said  he  turning  to  his 
wife.  "We  may  as  well  stay  here  in  the  old  house 
as  to  be  tormented  in  the  new  one  that  is  not  so 
convenient!" 

And  they  stayed. 


OWNSELF 

From  Northumberland 

Once  upon  a  time  there  was  a  widow  and  her 
little  boy.  Their  home  was  a  small  cottage  in 
the  wood.  The  mother  worked  hard  from  early 
morning  until  evening,  and  she  was  so  tired  that 
she  liked  to  go  to  bed  early.  But  the  little  boy 
did  not  like  to  go  to  bed  early  at  all. 

One  evening  when  his  mother  told  him  to  un- 
dress, he  begged  her,  saying:  "I'm  not  sleepy. 
May  I  sit  up  just  this  once?  " 

"Very  well,"  said  she.  "Sit  up  if  you  wish, 
but  if  the  Fairies  catch  you  here  alone,  they  will 
surely  carry  you  off."  Then  she  went  to  bed. 

The  little  boy  laughed,  and  sat  down  on  the 
hearth  before  the  fire,  watching  the  blaze  and 
warming  his  hands.  A 

By  and  by  he  heard  a  giggling  and  a  laughing 
in  the  chimney,  and  the  next  minute  he  saw  a 
tiny  girl,  as  big  as  a  doll,  come  tumbling  down 
and  jump  on  to  the  hearth  in  front  of  him. 

At  first  the  little  boy  was  dreadfully  fright- 
ened, but  the  tiny  girl  began  to  dance  so  prettily, 
and  to  nod  her  head  at  him  in  such  a  friendly 
way,  that  he  forgot  to  be  afraid. 

"What  do  they  call  you,  little  girl?"  said  he. 


108    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

"My  name  is  Ownself,"  said  she  proudly. 
"What  is  yours?"       • 

"My  name,"  he  answered,  laughing  very  hard, 
"is  My  Ownself." 

Then  the  two  children  began  to  play  together 
as  if  they  had  known  each  other  all  their  lives. 
They  danced,  and  they  sang,  and  they  roasted 
chestnuts  before  the  fire,  and  they  tickled  the 
house-cat's  ears.  Then  the  fire  commenced  to 
flicker,  and  it  grew  dimmer  and  dimmer;  so  the 
little  boy  took  the  poker  and  stirred  up  the  em- 
bers. And  a  hot  coal  tumbled  out  and  rolled  on  to 
Ownself 's  tiny  foot.  And,  oh!  how  she  screamed! 
Then  she  wept,  and  flew  into  such  a  rage  that  the 
little  boy  got  frightened  and  hid  behind  the  door. 

Just  then  a  squeaky  voice  called  down  the 
chimney:  "Ownself!  Ownself!  What  wicked 
creature  hurt  you?" 

"My  Ownself!  My  Ownself!"  she  screamed 
back. 

"Then  come  here,  you  troublesome  little 
Fairy,"  cried  the  voice  angrily. 

And  a  Fairy  mother,  slipper  in  hand,  came 
hurrying  down  the  chimney;  and  catching  Own- 
self,  she  whipped  her  soundly  and  carried  her 
off,  saying:  — 

"What's  all  this  noise  about,  then?  If  you  did 
it  your  ownself,  there's  nobody  to  blame  but 
yourself!" 


THE  SICK-BED  ELVES 

From  China 

Wang  Little-Third-One  lay  stretched  on  his 
bed  of  bamboo  laths,  where  a  low  fever  kept  him. 
He  complained  to  every  one,  especially  to  his 
friend  the  Magician  who  came  to  see  him. 

The  Magician  was  very  wise,  so  he  gave  Wang 
a  drink  of  something  delicious  and  cool,  and  went 
away. 

When  Little-Third-One  had  drunk  this,  his 
fever  fell,  and  he  was  able  to  enjoy  a  little  sleep. 
He  was  awakened  by  a  slight  noise.  The  night  was 
come.  The  room  was  lighted  by  the  full  moon, 
which  threw  a  bright  gleam  through  the  open  door. 

Then  he  saw  that  the  room  was  full  of  insects 
that  were  moving  and  flying  hither  and  thither. 
There  were  white  ants  that  gnaw  wood,  bad- 
smelling  bugs,  enormous  cockroaches,  mosqui- 
toes, and  many  many  flies.  And  they  were  all 
buzzing,  gnashing  their  teeth,  or  falling. 

As  Little-Third-One  looked,  he  saw  something 
move  on  the  threshold .  A  small  man,  not  bigger  than 
a  thumb ,  advanced  with  cautious  steps .  In  his  hand 
he  held  a  bow;  a  sword  was  hanging  by  his  side. 

Little-Third-One,  looking  closer,  saw  two  dogs 
as  big  as  shirt-buttons,  running  in  front  of  the 


110    BOOK.  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

little  man.  They  suddenly  stopped.  The  archer 
approached  nearer  to  the  bed,  and  held  out  his 
bow,  and  discharged  a  tiny  arrow.  A  cockroach 
that  was  crawling  before  the  dogs,  made  a  bound, 
fell  on  its  back,  kicked,  and  was  motionless.  The 
arrow  had  run  through  it. 

Behind  the  little  man,  other  little  men  had 
come.  Some  rode  on  small  horses,  and  were  armed 
with  swords,  and  still  others  were  on  foot.  All 
these  huntsmen  scattered  about  the  room,  and 
ran  or  rode,  to  and  fro,  shooting  arrows,  and 
brandishing  their  swords;  until  hundreds  and 
hundreds  of  insects  were  killed.  At  first  the 
mosquitoes  escaped,  but,  as  they  cannot  fly  for 
long,  every  time  one  of  them  settled  on  the  wall, 
it  was  transfixed  by  a  huntsman. 

Soon  none  were  left  of  all  the  insects  that  had 
broken  the  silence  with  their  buzzing,  their  gnash- 
ing of  teeth,  and  their  falling. 

A  horseman  then  galloped  around  the  room, 
looking  from  right  to  left.  He  gave  a  signal.  All 
the  huntsmen  called  their  dogs,  went  to  the  door, 
and  disappeared. 

1  Little-Third-One  had  not  moved,  for  fear  that 
he  should  disturb  the  hunt.  At  last  he  went 
peacefully  to  sleep,  and  woke  the  next  day  cured. 
When  his  friend  the  Magician  came  to  see  him, 
Little-Third- One  told  him  about  the  mysterious 
huntsmen,  and  his  friend  the  Magician  smiled. 


HOW  PEEPING  KATE  WAS 
PISKEY-LED 

From  Cornwall 

*T  is  Hallowe'en  Night,  Teddy,  my  boy.  Don't 
go  out  on  the  moor,  or  near  the  Gump,  for  the 
Piskeys  and  the  Spriggans  are  abroad,  waiting 
to  mislead  straying  mortals.  Many  are  the  men 
and  women  that  the  Little  People  have  whisked 
away  on  Hallowe'en  Night;  and  the  poor  mortals 
have  never  been  heard  of  since. 

Sit  down,  Teddy,  my  boy,  crack  these  nuts, 
and  eat  these  red  apples;  and  I'll  tell  you  how 
Peeping  Kate  was  Piskey-led. 

I  have  heard  the  old  folks  say  how  long  ago  — 
maybe  a  hundred  years  or  so  —  the  Squire  of 
Pendeen  had  a  housekeeper,  an  elderly  dame, 
called  Kate  Tregeer. 

Well,  one  Hallowe'en  Night,  some  spices  and 
other  small  things  were  wanted  for  the  feasten- 
tide,  and  Kate  would  not  trust  any  one  to  go  for 
them  except  herself.  So  she  put  on  her  red  coat 
and  high  steeple-crowned  hat,  and  walked  to 
Penzance.  She  bought  the  goods  and  started  for 
home. 

i  It  was  a  bright  moonlight  night,  and  though 
no  wind  was  blowing,  the  leaves  of  the  trees  were 


112    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

murmuring  with  a  hollow  sound.  And  Kate  could 
hear  strange  rustlings  in  the  bushes  by  the  side 
of  the  road. 

She  had  walked  a  very  long  time,  and  her  bas- 
ket was  so  heavy  that  she  began  to  feel  tired. 
Her  legs  bent  under  her  and  she  could  scarcely 
stand  up.  Just  then  she  beheld,  a  little  in  front 
of  her,  a  man  on  horseback.  And  she  could  tell  by 
the  proud  way  he  sat  that  he  was  a  gentleman- 
born. 

She  was  very  glad  to  see  him,  and  as  he  was 
going  slowly,  she  soon  overtook  him;  and  when 
she  came  up,  his  horse  stood  stock-still. 

"My  dear  Master,"  she  said,  "how  glad  I  am 
to  see  you.  Don't  you  know  me?  I'm  Kate  Tre- 
geer  of  Pendeen;  and  I  can't  tell  you  how  hard 
I've  worked  all  day." 

Then  she  explained  to  him  how  she  had  walked 
to  Penzance,  and  was  now  so  tired  that  she  could 
not  stand  up.  But  the  gentleman  made  no  reply. 

"My  dear  Master,"  said  she,  "I'm  footsore 
and  leg- weary .  I  've  got  as  far  as  here,  you  see, 
but  I  can  get  no  farther.  Do  have  pity  on  a  poor 
unfortunate  woman,  and  take  her  behind  you. 
I  can  ride  well  enough  on  your  horse's  back  with- 
out a  saddle  or  pillion." 

But  still  the  gentleman  made  no  reply. 

"My  dear  Master,"  she  said  again,  "My!  but 
you're  a  fine-looking  man!    How  upright  you  sit 


PEEPING  KATE  113 

on  your  horse!  But  why  don't  you  answer  me? 
Are  you  asleep?  One  would  think  you  were  taking 
a  nap;  and  your  horse,  too,  it  is  standing  so  still ! " 

Not  having  any  word  in  reply  to  this  fine 
speech,  Kate  called  out  as  loud  as  she  could: 
"Even  if  you  are  a  gentleman-born,  you  need  n't 
be  so  stuck-up  that  you  won't  speak  to  a  poor 
body  afoot!" 

Still  he  never  spoke,  though  Kate  thought  that 
she  saw  him  wink  at  her. 

This  vexed  her  the  more.  "The  time  was  when 
the  Tregeers  were  among  the  first  in  the  parish, 
and  were  buried  with  the  gentry!  Wake  up  and 
speak  to  me!"  screamed  she  in  a  rage.  And  then 
she  took  up  a  stone,  and  threw  it  at  the  horse. 
The  stone  rolled  back  to  her  feet,  and  the  animal 
did  not  even  whisk  its  tail. 

Kate  now  got  nearer,  and  saw  that  the  rider 
had  no  hat  on,  nor  was  there  any  hair  on  his  bald 
head.  She  touched  the  horse,  and  felt  nothing 
but  a  bunch  of  furze.  She  rubbed  her  eyes  and 
saw  at  once,  to  her  great  astonishment,  that  it 
was  no  gentleman  and  horse  at  all,  only  a  smooth 
stone  half  buried  in  a  heap  of  furze.  And  there 
she  was  still  far  away  from  Pendeen,  with  her 
heavy  basket,  and  her  legs  so  tired  that  she 
could  scarcely  move.  And  then  she  saw  that  she 
had  come  a  short  distance  only,  and  knew  that 
she  must  be  bewitched. 


114    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

Well,  on  she  went;  and  seeing  a  light  at  her 
left  hand  she  thought  that  it  shone  from  the  win- 
dow of  a  house  where  she  might  rest  awhile.  So 
she  made  for  it  straight  across  the  moor,  floun- 
dering through  bogs,  and  tripping  over  bunches 
of  furze.  And  still  the  light  was  always  just 
ahead,  and  it  seemed  to  move  from  side  to  side. 
Then  suddenly  it  went  out,  and  she  was  left 
standing  in  a  bog.  The  next  minute  she  found 
herself  among  furze-ricks  and  pigsties,  in  the 
yard  of  Farmer  Boslow,  miles  away  from  Pen- 
deen. 

She  opened  the  door  of  an  old  outhouse,  and 
entered,  hoping  to  get  a  few  hours'  rest.  There 
she  lay  down  on  straw  and  fell  asleep;  but  she 
was  soon  wakened  by  some  young  pigs  who  were 
rooting  around  in  the  straw.  That  was  too  much 
for  Kate.  So  up  she  got,  and  as  she  did  so  she 
heard  the  noise  of  a  flail.  And  seeing  a  glimmer 
of  light  in  a  barn  near  by,  she  crept  softly  to  a 
little  window  in  the  barn,  and  peeped  to  find  what 
was  going  on. 

At  first  she  could  see  only  two  rush-wicks  burn- 
ing in  two  old  iron  lamps.  Then  through  the  dim 
light  she  saw  the  slash-flash  of  a  flail  as  it  rose 
and  fell,  and  beat  the  barn  floor.  She  stood  on 
tiptoes,  and  stuck  her  head  in  farther,  and  whom 
did  she  see,  wielding  the  flail,  but  a  little  old 
man,  about  three  feet  high,  with  hair  like  a  bunch 


PEEPING  KATE  115 

of  rushes,  and  ragged  clothes.  His  face  was 
broader  than  it  was  long,  and  he  had  great  owl- 
eyes  shaded  by  heavy  eyebrows  from  which  his 
nose  poked  like  a  pig's  snout.  Kate  noticed  that 
his  teeth  were  crooked  and  jagged,  and  that  at 
each  stroke  of  the  flail,  he  kept  moving  his  thin 
lips  around  and  around,  and  thrusting  his  tongue 
in  and  out.  His  shoulders  were  broad  enough 
for  a  man  twice  his  height,  and  his  feet  were 
splayed  like  a  frog's. 

"Well!  Well!"  thought  Kate.  "This  is  luck! 
To  see  the  Piskey  threshing!  For  ever  since  I 
can  remember  I  have  heard  it  said  that  the  Pis- 
key  threshed  corn  for  Farmer  Boslow  on  winter 
nights,  and  did  other  odd  jobs  for  him  the  year 
round.  But  I  would  not  believe  it.  Yet  here  he 
is!" 

Then  she  reached  her  head  farther  in,  and  be- 
held a  score  of  little  men  helping  the  Piskey. 
Some  of  them  were  lugging  down  the  sheaves, 
and  placing  them  handy  for  him;  and  others 
were  carrying  away  the  straw  from  which  the 
grain  had  been  threshed.  Soon  a  heap  of  corn 
was  gathered  on  the  floor,  as  clean  as  if  it  had 
been  winnowed. 

In  doing  this  the  Piskey  raised  such  a  dust 
that  it  set  him  and  some  of  the  little  men  sneezing. 
And  Kate,  without  stopping  to  think,  called 
out:  — 


116    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

"God  bless  you,  little  men!" 

Quick  as  a  wink  the  lights  vanished,  and  a 
handful  of  dust  was  thrown  into  her  eyes,  which 
blinded  her  so  that  for  a  moment  she  could  not 
see.   And  then  she  heard  the  Piskey  squeak:  — 

"  I  spy  thy  face, 
Old  Peeping  Kate, 
I'll  serve  thee  out, 
Early  and  late!" 

Kate,  when  she  heard  this,  felt  very  uneasy, 
for  she  remembered  that  the  Little  People  have 
a  great  spite  against  any  one  who  peeps  at  them, 
or  pries  into  their  doings. 

The  night  being  clear,  she  quickly  found  her 
way  out  of  a  crooked  lane,  and  ran  as  fast  as  she 
could,  and  never  stopped  until  she  reached  the 
Gump.  There  she  sat  down  to  rest  awhile. 

After  that  she  stood  up;  and  turn  whichever 
way  she  might  the  same  road  lay  before  her. 
Then  she  knew  that  the  Piskey  was  playing  her 
a  trick.  So  she  ran  down  a  hill  as  fast  as  she  could, 
not  caring  in  what  direction  she  was  going,  so 
long  as  she  could  get  away  from  the  Piskey. 

After  running  a  long  while,  she  heard  music 
and  saw  lights  at  no  great  distance.  Thinking 
that  she  must  be  near  a  house,  she  went  over 
the  downs  toward  the  lights,  feeling  ready  for  a 
jig,  and  stopping  now  and  then  to  dance  around 
and  around  to  the  strains  of  the  music. 


PEEPING  KATE  117 

But  instead  of  arriving  at  a  house,  in  passing 
around  some  high  rocks  she  came  out  on  a  broad 
green  meadow,  encircled  with  furze  and  rocks. 
And  there  before  her  she  saw  a  whole  troop  of 
Spriggans  holding  an  Elfin  Fair.  It  was  like  a 
feasten-day.  Scores  of  little  booths  were  stand- 
ing in  rows,  and  were  covered  with  tiny  trinkets 
such  as  buckles  of  silver  and  gold  glistening  with 
Cornish  diamonds,  pins  with  jewelled  heads, 
brooches,  rings,  bracelets,  and  necklaces  of  crystal 
beads,  green  and  red  or  blue  and  gold;  and  many 
other  pretty  things  new  to  Kate. 

There  were  lights  in  all  directions  —  lanterns 
no  bigger  than  Foxgloves  were  hanging  in  rows; 
and  on  the  booths,  rushlights  in  tulip-cups  shone 
among  Fairy  goodies  such  as  Kate  had  never 
dreamed  of.  Yet  with  all  these  lights  there  was 
such  a  shimmer  over  everything  that  she  got  bewil- 
dered, and  could  not  see  as  plainly  as  she  wished. 

She  did  not  care  to  disturb  the  Little  People 
until  she  had  looked  at  all  that  was  doing.  So 
she  crept  softly  behind  the  booths  and  watched 
the  Spriggans  dancing.  Hundreds  of  them,  linked 
hand  in  hand,  went  whirling  around  so  fast  as 
to  make  her  dizzy.  Small  as  they  were,  they  were 
all  decked  out  like  rich  folk,  the  little  men  in 
cocked  hats  and  feathers,  blue  coats  gay  with  lace 
and  gold  buttons,  breeches  and  stockings  of  lighter 
hue,  and  tiny  shoes  with  diamond  buckles. 


118    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

Kate  could  not  name  the  colours  of  the  little 
ladies'  dresses,  which  were  of  all  the  hues  of 
Summer  blossoms.  The  vain  little  things  had 
powdered  their  hair,  and  decked  their  heads  with 
ribbons,  feathers,  and  flowers.  Their  shoes  were 
of  velvet  and  satin,  and  were  high-heeled  and 
pointed.  And  such  sparkling  black  eyes  as  all 
the  little  ladies  had,  and  such  dimpled  cheeks 
and  chins !  And  they  were  merry,  sprightly,  and 
laughing. 

All  the  Spriggans  were  capering  and  dancing 
around  a  pole  wreathed  with  flowers.  The  pipers, 
standing  in  their  midst,  played  such  lively  airs 
that  Kate  never  in  all  her  life  had  wanted  to 
dance  more.  But  she  kept  quite  still,  for  she  did 
not  wish  the  Little  People  to  know  that  she  was 
there.  She  was  determined  to  pocket  some  of  the 
pretty  things  in  the  booths,  and  steal  softly  away 
with  them.  She  thought  how  nice  a  bright  pair 
of  diamond  buckles  would  look  on  her  best  shoes, 
and  how  fine  her  Sunday  cap  would  be  orna- 
mented with  a  Fairy  brooch. 

So  she  raised  her  hand  and  laid  it  on  some 
buckles,  when  —  oh !  oh !  —  she  felt  a  palmf ul 
of  pins  and  needles  stick  into  her  fingers  like  red- 
hot  points;  and  she  screamed:  — 

"Misfortune  take  you,  you  bad  little  Sprig- 
gans!" 

Immediately  the  lights  went  out,  and  she  felt 


SHE  SAW  A  WHOLE  TROOP  OF  SPRIGGANS  HOLDING  AN 
ELFIN  FAIR" 


PEEPING  KATE  119 

hundreds  of  the  Little  People  leap  on  her  back, 
and  her  neck,  and  her  head.  At  the  same  moment 
others  tripped  up  her  heels,  and  laid  her  flat  on 
the  ground,  and  rolled  her  over  and  over. 

Then  she  caught  sight  of  the  Piskey  mounted 
on  a  wild-looking  colt,  his  toes  stuck  in  its  mane. 
He  was  holding  a  rush  for  a  whip.  And  there  he 
sat  grinning  from  ear  to  ear,  and  urging  on  the 
Spriggans  to  torment  her,  with  "Haw!  Haw! 
Haw!"  and  "Tee!  Hee!  Hee!" 

She  spread  out  her  arms  and  squeezed  herself 
tight  to  the  ground,  so  that  the  Spriggans  might 
not  turn  her  over;  but  they  squeaked  and  grunted, 
and  over  and  over  she  went.  And  every  time  that 
they  turned  her  face  downward,  some  of  the 
little  fellows  jumped  on  her  back,  and  jigged 
away  from  her  toe  to  her  head. 

She  reached  around  to  beat  them  off  with  a 
stick,  but  they  pulled  it  out  of  her  hand;  and, 
balancing  it  across  her  body,  strided  it,  and 
bobbed  up  and  down,  singing:  — 

"See-saw-pate! 
Lie  still  old  Peeping  Kate! 
See-saw-pate! 

Here  we'll  ride,  early  and  hie, 
On  the  back  of  Peeping  Kate!'* 

And  with  that,  poor  Kate,  not  to  be  beaten  by 
the  Spriggans,  tossed  back  her  feet  to  kick  the 
little  fellows  away,  but  they  pulled  off  her  shoes 


120    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

and  tickled  and  prickled  the  soles  of  her  feet 
until  she  fell  a-laughing  and  a-crying  by  turns. 

Kate  was  almost  mad  with  their  torment, 
when  by  good  chance  she  remembered  a  charm 
that  would  drive  away  all  mischievous  spirits, 
on  Hallowe'en.  So  she  repeated  it  forwards  and 
backwards,  and  in  a  twinkling  all  the  little  Sprig- 
gans  fled  screeching  away,  the  Piskey  galloping 
after  them. 

Then  she  got  on  her  feet  and  looked  around. 
She  saw,  by  the  starlight  of  a  clear  frosty  morn- 
ing, that  the  place  to  which  she  had  been  Piskey- 
led  was  a  green  spot  near  the  Gump,  where  folks 
said  the  Spriggans  held  their  nightly  revels.  And 
although  the  spot  was  very  small,  it  had  seemed  to 
her  like  a  ten-acre  field  because  of  enchantment. 
*vAnd  her  hat,  and  her  shoes,  and  her  basket 
were  gone;  and  poor  Kate,  barefooted  and  bare- 
headed, had  to  hobble  home  as  best  she  could. 
And  she  reached  Pendeen  gate  more  dead  than 
alive. 


ONE-EYED  PRYING  JOAN'S  TALE 

From  Cornwall 

Sit  down,  Bobby,  my  boy.  Eat  some  bread  and 
cheese.  Don't  be  afraid  to  drink  the  cider.  It's 
all  my  own  making.  Sit  down,  and  I'll  tell  you 
how  I  lost  the  sight  of  my  right  eye. 

The  last  Christmas  Eve  I  went  to  Penzance 
to  buy  a  pair  of  shoes  for  myself,  and  some  thread 
and  buttons,  and  things  to  mend  Master's  clothes. 
I  dearly  like  company,  and  as  I  started  out  I 
thought  of  old  Betty  down  at  the  cove,  she  that 
they  say  is  a  Witch,  you  know. 

Thinks  I  to  myself:  "If  she's  a  Witch,  she'll 
not  hurt  me,  as  I  never  crossed  her  in  my  life. 
Witch  or  no  Witch,  I  '11  stop  and  have  a  bite  of 
something  hot  at  her  little  house,"  thought  I. 

When  I  came  to  the  house,  the  door  was  tight 
shut,  and  I  heard  a  strange  mumbling  inside,  but 
I  could  not  make  out  what  it  was.  So  I  took  a 
peep  through  the  latch-hole.  And  what  did  I 
see  but  old  Betty  standing  by  the  chimney-piece 
with  a  little  box  in  her  hand,  and  she  was  mutter- 
ing something  that  sounded  like  a  charm.  She 
put  her  finger  into  the  box  and  pulled  it  out  again, 
and  smeared  some  ointment  over  her  eyes.  Then 
she  put  the  box  into  a  hole  near  the  chimney.  ,  > 


122    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

I  lifted  the  latch  and  walked  in.  "How-de-do, 
Betty,"  said  I. 

"Welcome,"  said  she,  grinning  and  pleased. 
"Sit  down  by  the  fire.  Now  we'll  have  a  good 
drop  of  something  hot  to  ourselves,  seeing  that 
it's  Christmas  Eve,"  said  she. 

"I'll  take  a  thimbleful,  just  to  drink  your 
health  and  a  Merry  Christmas  to  you,  with  all 
my  heart,"  said  I;  for  I  well  knew  that  Betty 
made  the  best  sweet  drink,  with  sugar  and  spice 
and  a  roasted  apple  bobbing  around  in  it. 

I  put  down  my  basket,  and  took  off  my  coat, 
and  sat  by  the  fire;  while  Betty  stepped  into  a 
closet  to  fetch  the  cups. 

Now,  I  had  often  wondered  what  made  her 
eyes  so  clear  and  piercing.  "  'T  is  the  Fairy 
ointment,  or  Witch  salve  in  the  box,"  thought  I. 
"If  it  will  do  that  to  her  eyes,  it  won't  hurt  me." 
So  while  she  was  gone,  I  took  the  box  from  the 
hole,  where  she  had  covered  it  with  ferns,  and 
put  a  bit  of  the  ointment  on  my  right  eye.  The 
stuff  had  no  sooner  touched  me  than  it  burned 
like  fire,  or  as  if  needles  and  pins  were  being 
thrust  into  my  eyeball.  Just  then  Betty  came 
from  the  closet,  and  I  dragged  the  brim  of  my 
hat  down  over  my  right  eye,  so  she  should  not 
see  what  had  happened. 

v   After  we  had  drunk  each  other's  health  three 
or  four  times,  the  pain  went  off,  and  I  ventured 


ONE-EYED  PRYING  JOAN         123 

to  open  my  anointed  eye.  And  oh!  what  did  I 
see!  The  place  was  full  of  Spriggans!  Troops  of 
the  Little  People  were  cutting  all  sorts  of  capers 
in  the  folds  of  the  nets  and  sails  hung  on  the 
walls,  in  the  bunches  of  herbs  that  swung  from 
the  rafters,  and  in  the  pots  and  pans  on  the 
dresser.  Some  of  them  were  playing  seesaw  on 
the  beams  of  the  ceiling,  tossing  their  heels  and 
waving  their  feathered  caps,  as  they  teetered  up 
and  down  on  bits  of  straw  or  green  twigs.  Num- 
bers of  them  were  swinging  in  the  cobwebs  that 
festooned  the  rafters  or  riding  mice  in  and  out 
through  holes  in  the  thatch. 

I  noted  that  all  the  little  men  were  dressed  in 
green  tricked  out  with  red,  and  had  feathered 
caps  and  high  riding-boots  with  silver  spurs. 
Their  ladies,  if  you  please,  were  all  decked  in 
grand  fashion  —  their  gowns  were  of  green  velvet 
with  long  trains  and  looped  up  with  silver  chains 
and  bells.  They  wore  high-crowned  steeple-hats, 
with  wreaths  of  the  most  beautiful  flowers  around 
them ;  while  sprigs  of  blossoms  and  garlands  dec- 
orated all  parts  of  their  dress,  and  were  in  their 
hands  as  well.  They  were  the  sauciest  Little 
People  I  ever  did  see.  They  pranced  around  on 
their  high-heeled  boots  sparkling  with  diamond 
buckles. 

When  I  peeped  into  the  wood-corner  under 
Betty's  bunk,  I  spied  some  of  the  ugly  Spriggans 


124    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

sitting  there  looking  very  gloomy  because  they 
have  to  watch  the  treasures  that  are  hidden  in 
the  ground,  and  do  other  disagreeable  things  that 
the  merry  Spriggans  never  have  to  do. 

While  looking  into  the  dark  corner  I  heard 
strains  of  sweet,  unearthly  music  outside  the 
house.  Glancing  around  the  room,  I  saw  that 
all  was  changed.  The  walls  were  hung  with  tap- 
estry, the  chimney  stools  on  which  we  sat  were 
carved  chairs.  Betty  and  I  sat  under  a  canopy 
of  embroidered  satin,  and  our  feet  rested  on  a 
silken  carpet.  And  wherever  the  little  Spriggans 
trod,  they  left  circles  like  diamonds  on  the  floor. 

The  sweet  music  was  now  close  at  hand  under 
the  little  window,  and  a  moment  after  a  troop 
of  the  Little  People  appeared  on  the  window-sill, 
playing  on  pipes,  flutes,  and  other  instruments 
made  of  green  reeds  from  the  brook  and  of  shells 
from  the  shore. 

The  Fairy  band  stepped  down  most  gracefully 
from  the  window-sill,  and  was  closely  followed 
by  a  long  train  of  little  men  and  women  magnifi- 
cently dressed,  and  carrying  bunches  of  flowers 
in  their  hands.  All  walked  in  an  orderly  proces- 
sion, two  by  two,  and  bowed  or  curtsied,  to 
Betty,  and  cast  the  flowers  in  her  lap.  I  saw  their 
many  bunches  of  Four-leaved  Clover  and  sprigs 
of  magic  herbs.  With  these  she  makes  her  salves 
and  lotions. 


ONE-EYED  PRYING  JOAN         125 

Then  all  the  Spriggans  who  had  been  dancing 
and  capering  abont  the  ceiling  and  floor  joined 
the  others  and  came  crowding  around  Betty. 
She  did  not  look  surprised,  and  I  did  not  say 
anything  to  let  her  know  that  I  saw.  The  Sprig- 
gans then  began  to  pour  dew  over  her  dress  out 
of  flower-buds  and  from  the  bottles  of  the  Fox- 
glove. Immediately  her  jacket  was  changed  into 
the  finest  and  richest  cloth  of  a  soft  cream  colour, 
and  her  dress  became  velvet  the  colour  of  all  the 
flowers,  and  it  was  draped  over  a  petticoat  of  silk 
quilted  with  silver  cord. 

The  Little  People  brought  tiny  nosegays  of 
sky-blue  Pimpernel,  Forget-me-nots,  and  dainty 
flower-bells,  blue,  pink,  and  white,  and  hundreds 
of  other  Fairy  blossoms  like  stars  and  butterflies. 
These  delicate  little  sprigs  they  stitched  all  over 
Betty's  silver-corded  petticoat  together  with 
branching  moss  and  the  lace-like  tips  of  the  wild 
grass.  All  around  the  bottom  of  her  skirt  they 
made  a  wreath  of  tiny  bramble  leaves  with  roses 
and  berries,  red  and  black. 

Many  of  the  Little  People  perched  themselves 
on  the  top  of  the  high-backed  chair  in  which 
Betty  sat,  and  even  stood  on  her  shoulders,  so 
that  they  might  arrange  her  every  curl  and  every 
hair.  Some  took  the  lids  off  pretty  little  urns 
they  carried  in  their  hands,  and  poured  perfume 
on  her  head,  which  spread  the  sweetest  odours 


126    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

through  the  room.  I  very  much  admired  the 
lovely  little  urns,  with  their  grooved  lids,  but  when 
I  picked  one  up,  it  was  only  a  seed-pod  of  the  wild 
Poppy.  They  placed  no  other  ornament  in  her  hair 
except  a  small  twig  of  holly  full  of  bright  red  berries. 
Yet  Betty,  decked  out  by  her  Fairy  friends,  was 
more  beautiful  than  the  loveliest  Queen  of  May. 

My  senses  were  overcome  by  the  smell  of  the 
Fairy  odours,  and  the  scent  of  the  flowers,  and 
the  sweet  perfume  of  honey,  with  which  the  walls 
of  the  house  seemed  bursting.  And  my  head  fell 
forward  and  I  slept. 

How  long  I  dozed  I  do  not  know,  but  when  I 
woke  I  saw  that  all  the  little  Spriggans  were 
glaring  at  me  angrily.  They  thrust  out  their 
tongues  and  made  the  most  horrid  grimaces.  I 
was  so  frightened  that  I  jumped  up,  and  ran  out 
of  the  house,  and  shut  the  door. 

But  for  the  life  of  me,  I  could  not  leave  the 
place  without  taking  another  peep.  I  put  my 
left  eye  to  the  latch-hole  —  and  would  you  be- 
lieve it?  —  the  house  was  just  as  it  was  when  I 
entered  it;  the  floor  was  bare,  and  there  sat  Betty 
in  her  old  clothes  before  the  fire.  Then  I  winked, 
and  looked  with  the  right  eye,  and  there  was 
the  beautiful  room,  and  Betty  seated  in  her  fine 
flower-gown,  beneath  the  silken  canopy,  while 
all  the  little  Spriggans  were  dancing  and  caper- 
ing around  her. 


ONE-EYED  PRYING  JOAN         127 

I  tore  myself  away,  glad  to  get  out  of  the  cove, 
and  hurried  to  Penzance  to  do  my  shopping,  al- 
though it  was  so  late.  And  as  I  was  standing  in 
front  of  a  booth,  what  should  I  see  but  a  little 
Spriggan  helping  himself  to  hanks  of  yarn,  stock- 
ings, and  all  sorts  of  fine  things. 

"Ah!  Ha!  my  little  man!"  cried  I.  "Are  you 
not  ashamed  to  be  carrying  on  this  way,  stealing 
all  those  goods?" 

"Is  that  thee,  old  Joan?"  said  he.  "Which 
eye  canst  thou  see  me  with?" 

After  winking  both  my  eyes,  I  said:  "'Tis 
plain  enough  that  I  can  see  you  with  my  right 
eye." 

Then  in  a  twinkling  he  pointed  his  finger  at 
my  right  eye,  and  mumbled  a  spell,  and  I  just 
caught  the  words :  — 

"Joan  the  Pry 
Shall  nor  peep  nor  spy, 
But  shall  lose 
Her  charmed  eye!" 

Then  he  blew  in  my  face,  and  was  gone.  And 
when  I  looked  around,  my  right  eye  was  blind. 
And  from  that  day  to  this  I  have  never  seen  a 
blink  with  my  anointed  eye. 


THE  FAIRY  FOLK 

Up  the  airy  mountain, 

Down  the  rushy  glen, 
We  dare  n't  go  a-hunting 

For  fear  of  little  men; 
Wee  folk,  good  folk, 

Trooping  all  together; 
Green  jacket,  red  cap,  i 

And  white  owl's  feather! 

Down  along  the  rocky  shore 

Some  make  their  home, 
They  live  on  crispy  pancakes 

Of  yellow  tide-foam; 
Some  in  the  reeds 

Of  the  black  mountain-lake, 
With  frogs  for  their  watch-dogs, 

All  night  awake. 

High  on  the  hill-top 

The  old  King  sits; 
He  is  now  so  old  and  gray 

He's  nigh  lost  his  wits. 
With  a  bridge  of  white  mist 

Columbkill  he  crosses, 


THE  FAIRY  FOLK  129 

On  his  stately  journeys 

From  Slieveleague  to  Rosses; 
Or  going  up  with  music, 

On  cold  starry  nights, 
To  sup  with  the  Queen 

Of  the  gay  Northern  Lights. 

They  stole  little  Bridget 

For  seven  years  long; 
When  she  came  down  again 

Her  friends  were  all  gone. 
They  took  her  lightly  back, 

Between  the  night  and  morrow; 
They  thought  that  she  was  fast  asleep, 

But  she  was  dead  with  sorrow. 
They  have  kept  her  ever  since 

Deep  within  the  lakes, 
On  a  bed  of  flag  leaves, 

Watching  till  she  wakes. 

By  the  craggy  hillside, 

Through  the  mosses  bare, 
They  have  planted  thorn-trees 

For  pleasure  here  and  there. 
Is  any  man  so  daring 

As  dig  one  up  in  spite? 
He  shall  find  their  sharpest  thorns 

In  his  bed  at  night. 


130    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

Up  the  airy  mountain, 

Down  the  rushy  glen, 
We  dare  n't  go  a-hunting 

For  fear  of  little  men; 
Wee  folk,  good  folk, 

Trooping  all  together; 
Green  jacket,  red  cap, 

And  white  owl's  feather. 

William  Allingham 


FAIRY  SERVANTS  IN  THE  HOUSE 


Their  dwellings  be 
In  corners  of  old  houses  least  frequented 
Or  beneath  stacks  of  wood;  and  these  consented 
Make  fearful  noise  in  butteries  and  in  dairies; 
Robin  Goodfellows  some,  some  call  them  Fairies. 
In  solitary  rooms,  these  uproars  keep; 
And  beat  at  doors  to  ivake  men  from  their  sleep. 

Pots,  glasses,  trenchers,  dishes,  pans,  and  kettles, 
They  will  make  dance  about  the  shelves  and  settles, 
As  if  about  the  kitchen  tossed  and  cast, 
Yet  in  the  morning  nothing  found  misplaced! 

From  the-Hierarchie  of  the  Blessed  Angells  (1635) 


THE  FAIRY'S  SERVANTS 

From  the  Basque 

Once  upon  a  time  there  was  a  poor  woman  who 
had  three  daughters. 

One  day  the  youngest  said:  "Mother,  now 
that  I  am  old  enough,  I  wish  to  go  out  to 
service." 

The  mother  thought  to  herself:  "If  this  one 
goes,  why,  there  will  be  more  to  eat  for  the  rest 
of  us,"  so  she  said:  "Very  well,  good  luck  go  with 

you." 

The  girl  set  out,  and  after  she  had  walked  a 
long  way  she  came  to  a  beautiful  city.  A  hand- 
some lady  met  her,  and  asked :  — 

"Where  are  you  going,  my  child?" 

"I  am  going  out  to  service,"  replied  the  girl. 

"Will  you  come  with  me  to  my  home?"  asked 
the  lady. 

"Yes,  indeed,"  said  the  girl,  "and  I'll  try  to 
serve  you  faithfully." 

The  lady  led  her  to  a  large  and  fine  house,  and 
told  her  what  work  she  should  do  that  day. 

"We  are  Fairies,"  said  she.  "I  must  go  away 
for  a  short  time,  but  do  you  work  in  the  kitchen 
while  I  am  gone.  Dig  up  the  kitchen  floor,  smash 
the  pitcher,  break  the  plates.  Whip  the  children, 


134    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

throw  dirt  in  their  faces,  and  rumple  their  hair." 
Then  the  lady  went  away. 

The  girl,  who  thought  these  orders  very  strange, 
began  to  feed  the  children.  Just  then  a  little  dog 
came  creeping  up  to  her,  wagging  his  tail. 

"Bow!  Bow!  Bow!"  said  he.  "I,  too,  want 
something  to  eat!" 

So  the  girl  gave  him  a  plateful  of  breakfast, 
and  when  he  had  eaten  all  he  wished,  he  said :  — 
"You  are  a  good  girl,  and  I  will  tell  you  what 
to  do  to  please  my  mistress.  What  she  really 
meant  was  for  you  to  sweep  the  kitchen  floor, 
fill  the  pitcher,  wash  the  dishes,  and  dress  and  feed 
the  children.  Do  all  this  well,  and  she  will  give 
you  the  choice  of  a  beautiful  star  on  your  fore- 
head or  a  donkey's  tail  hanging  from  your  nose. 
Then  she  will  offer  you  a  sack  of  gold  or  a  bag  of 
charcoal.  You  must  choose  the  donkey's  tail  and 
the  bag  of  charcoal." 

Well,  the  girl  did  all  as  the  little  dog  told  her, 
and  when  the  mistress  came  home  she  smiled  and 
said:  — 

"Choose  which  you  will  have,  a  beautiful  star 
on  your  forehead,  or  a  donkey's  tail  hanging  from 
your  nose." 

"A  donkey's  tail  is  the  same  to  me,"  said  the 
girl. 

"Will  you  have  a  sack  of  gold  or  a  bag  of  char- 
coal?" asked  the  lady. 


THE  FAIRY'S  SERVANTS  135 

"The  bag  of  charcoal  is  the  same  to  me,"  said 
the  girl. 

Then  the  lady  placed  a  beautiful  star  on  her 
forehead,  and  gave  her  a  big  sackful  of  gold,  and 
told  her  she  might  go  back  to  her  mother. 

The  girl  thanked  the  lady,  and  leaving  the 
house  hastened  home.  When  her  mother  and 
sisters  saw  how  pretty  she  was  with  the  star  on 
her  forehead,  and  when  they  felt  the  big  sack  of 
gold  on  her  shoulder,  they  were  astonished. 

Then  the  eldest  sister  began  to  cry  and  say: 
"Mother,  I  will  go  out  and  be  a  servant, 
too!" 

"No!  no!  my  child,"  said  the  mother,  "I  will 
not  let  you  go." 

But  the  girl  wept,  and  would  not  leave  her 
mother  in  peace  until  she  said,  "Go";  then  she 
set  off  and  walked  until  she  came  to  the  Fairy 
city. 

The  handsome  lady  met  her  and  asked :  — 

"Where  are  you  going,  my  child?" 

"I  am  going  out  to  service,"  said  the  girl. 

"Will  you  come  with  me  to  my  home?"  asked 
the  lady. 

The  girl  said  she  would,  so  the  lady  led  her  to 
the  large  and  fine  house  and  told  her  what  work 
she  should  do  that  day. 

"Dig  up  the  kitchen  floor,"  said  she,  "smash 
the  pitcher,  break  the  plates.  Whip  the  children, 


136    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

throw  dirt  in  their  faces,  and  rumple  their  hair." 
Then  she  went  away. 

As  soon  as  the  lady  was  gone,  the  girl  began  to 
eat  up  all  the  good  things  in  the  pantry.  Just 
then  the  little  dog  came  creeping  up  to  her,  wag- 
ging his  tail.  ? 

"Bow!  Bow!  Bow!  I,  too,  want  something 
to  eat,"  he  said. 

"Go  away,  you  horrid  little  beast,"  answered 
the  girl,  and  she  gave  him  a  kick.  ,,.  ' 

But  the  little  dog  would  not  leave  her,  and  fol- 
lowed her  about  until  she  drove  him  from  the 
kitchen  with  blows.  Then  she  dug  up  the  kitchen 
floor,  smashed  the  pitcher,  broke  all  the  plates, 
whipped  the  children,  threw  dirt  in  their  faces, 
and  rumpled  their  hair. 

By  and  by  the  mistress  came  home,  and  when 
she  saw  what  the  girl  had  been  doing  she  frowned 
and  said:  — 

"Choose  which  you  will  have,  a  beautiful  star 
on  your  forehead  or  a  donkey's  tail  hanging  from 
your  nose." 

"A  star  on  my  forehead  for  me,"  said  the  girl. 

"Will  you  have  a  sack  of  gold  or  a  bag  of  char- 
coal?" asked  the  lady. 

"A  sack  of  gold  for  me,"  said  the  girl. 

Then  the  lady  hung  a  donkey's  tail  on  the  end 
of  her  nose,  and  gave  her  a  big  bag  of  charcoal, 
and  sent  her  back  to  her  home.   And  when  her 


THE  FAIRY'S  SERVANTS  137 

mother  saw  her  she  was  so  ashamed  that  she 
locked  her  in  the  cellar. 

As  for  the  youngest  girl,  she  shared  her  sack 
of  gold  with  her  mother  and  other  sister,  and  then 
she  married  a  fine  young  man,  and  lived  happily 
ever  after. 


THE  PIXIES 

From  England 

There  was  once  a  little  cottage  in  the  middle 
of  a  flower  garden.  Its  walls  were  covered  with 
roses,  and  its  porch  was  twined  with  clematis. 
The  bees  buzzed  over  the  flowers,  and  the  butter- 
flies fluttered  about  the  porch.  And  a  hundred 
little  green  Pixies  lived  in  the  wood  near  by. 

In  this  cottage  two  orphan  sisters  dwelt  all 
alone.  One  morning  the  elder  sister,  Mary,  got 
up  at  break  of  day.  She  milked  the  cow,  churned 
the  butter,  swept  the  hearth,  and  made  the 
breakfast.  Then  she  sat  on  the  porch  to  spin, 
and  sang:  — 

"How  merrily  the  wheel  goes  round, 
With  a  whirring,  humming  sound!" 

But  the  younger  sister,  Alice,  lay  in  bed  asleep. 
Then  Mary  put  her  spinning  aside,  and  called :  — 

"Wake,  Alice,  wake!  There  is  much  for  you 
to  do  while  I  go  to  the  market-town.  I  must  sell 
our  yarn,  and  buy  your  new  dress.  While  I  am 
gone,  don't  forget  to  bring  in  the  firewood,  drain 
the  honeycomb,  and  fill  the  Pixies'  water-pail." 

But  Alice  did  not  answer.  So  Mary  put  on  her 
hood  and  took  her  basket  full  of  yarn.    She 


THE  PIXIES  139 

walked  all  the  way  to  the  market-town  and  sold 
her  yarn,  and  bought  the  new  dress.  Then  she 
walked  home  again. 

The  sun  was  set  when  she  reached  the  cottage, 
and  Alice  was  sitting  idle  on  the  porch.  The 
honeycomb  was  not  drained,  the  firewood  was 
not  brought  in,  the  bed  was  not  made,  and  the 
supper  was  uncooked.  And  although  Mary  was 
tired  and  hungry,  she  had  to  cook  the  supper  and 
make  the  bed.   Then  the  sister^  went  to  sleep. 

By  and  by,  the  himdred  little  green  Pixies 
came  creeping,  creeping  into  the  kitchen.  They 
pattered  softly  about  and  whispered  so  that  the 
sisters  should  not  hear  them.  Some  ran  to  the 
spinning-wheel  and  began  to  spin,  others  built  a 
fire  under  the  oven,  and  mixed  and  kneaded  the 
bread.  One  took  a  broom  and  swept  the  floor, 
and  another  brought  in  the  firewood. 

When  all  the  yarn  was  spun,  the  bread  baked, 
and  the  kitchen  tidy,  the  Pixies  ran  to  the  water- 
pail  to  get  a  drink.  But  there  was  not  a  drop  of 
water  in  it!  And,  oh!  how  angry  they  were! 

Then  Mary  awoke,  and  cried:  "Alice!  Alice! 
Don't  you  hear  those  angry  buzzings?  Surely 
you  did  not  forget  to  fill  the  Pixies'  water-pail ! " 

But  Alice  answered:  "I  did  not  draw  the  water 
to-day.  And  I  will  not  leave  my  bed  now  to  fetch 
it  for  any  little  Pixy!"  Then  she  went  to  sleep 
again. 


t 


140    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

But  Mary  got  up,  and,  though  her  feet  were 
tired  and  sore,  she  took  the  pail  and  ran  through 
the  garden  to  the  spring.  And  as  she  stooped  she 
saw  a  hundred  little  faces  laughing  at  her  from 
the  water.  She  dipped  her  pail,  and  they  were 
gone.  She  lifted  the  full  pail,  and  felt  little  hands 
seize  it  and  bear  it  along.  It  was  carried  to  the 
door,  and  into  the  kitchen,  and  set  down  by  the 
hearth.  But  she  could  see  no  one,  so  she  went  to 
bed  again. 

The  next  morning  early,  Mary  got  up.  She 
ran  to  the  pail  and  looked  into  it.  Then  she 
clapped  her  hands  and  called :  — 

"Come,  Alice,  come!  See  the  silver  pennies 
shining  at  the  bottom  of  the  clear  water!  There 
must  be  a  hundred  of  them !  Come,  sister,  dear ! " 

Then  Alice,  waking,  tried  to  sit  up.  But  she 
screamed  with  fright,  for  she  could  not  move  her 
hands  and  feet.  Indeed,  she  could  not  rise  at  all! 
And  that  day,  and  the  next,  and  for  many  days 
after,  she  lay  helpless  on  her  bed,  and  Mary  fed 
and  comforted  her. 

And  every  night  the  hundred  little  green  Pixies 
came  creeping,  creeping  into  the  kitchen.  They 
swept,  they  baked,  they  sewed,  they  spun,  and 
they  drank  from  Mary's  water-pail.  And  every 
night  they  left  one  piece  of  silver  there. 

And  so  a  whole  year  passed,  and  Alice  lay  and 
thought,  and  thought,  and  thought  about  her 


THE  PIXIES  141 

idle  ways.  And  one  night  she  called  Mary  to  her, 
and  wept  and  said :  — 

"Oh,  sister,  if  only  I  could  get  up  to-morrow, 
and  feel  the  warm  sunshine  and  play  among  the 
flowers !  And  if  only  I  were  strong  enough  to  work 
for  you,  as  you  have  worked  for  me!" 

And  Mary  kissed  and  comforted  her. 

The  next  morning  came,  and  Mary  got  up  at 
break  of  day.  She  ran  and  looked  into  the  water- 
pail.   Then  she  clapped  her  hands  and  called:  — ■ 

"Come,  Alice,  come!  See  the  silver  pennies 
shining  at  the  bottom  of  the  clear  water!  There 
must  be  a  hundred  of  them!  Come,  sister,  dear!" 

And  Alice  forgot  that  she  could  not  move. 
She  sprang  lightly  out  of  bed  and  ran  into  the 
kitchen.   And  she  was  all  well  and  happy  again! 

And  oh,  how  glad  the  sisters  were!  How  they 
kissed  each  other  and  laughed  with  joy!  They 
milked  the  cow,  and  churned,  and  baked,  and 
cooked,  and  sat  spinning  on  the  porch.  And  the 
bees  buzzed,  and  the  butterflies  fluttered,  and 
the  sisters  sang :  — 

"  How  merrily  the  wheels  go  round, 
With  a  whirring,  humming  sound!  " 


THE  BROWNIE  OF  BLEDNOCH 

From  Scotland 

OLD  MADGE'S  TALE 

Have  you  ever  heard  of  the  Brownie,  Aiken- 

Drum?   No?    Well,  I  will  tell  you  how  he  came 

to  Blednoch.    It  was  in  the  Autumn  time.    The 

red  sun  was  setting,  when  through  our  town  he 

passed  crying,  oh !  so  wearily :  — 

"Have  ye  work  for  AiJc  en-Drum? 
Have  ye  work  for  Aiken-Drum?" 

He  tirled  at  the  pin,  and  entered  in.  I  trow 
the  boldest  there  stood  back!  You  should  have 
heard  the  children  scream.  The  black  dog  barked, 
the  lasses  shrieked,  at  the  sight  of  Aiken-Drum. 

His  matted  head  lay  on  his  breast.  A  long  blue 

beard  fell  to  his  waist.    Around  his  hairy  form 

was  wrapped  a  cloth  of  woven  rushes  green.   His 

long,  thin  arms  trailed  on  the  ground.  His  hands 

were  claws;  his  feet  had  no  toes.    Oh,  fearful  to 

see  was  Aiken-Drum!   And  all  the  time  he  cried 

so  wearily,  so  drearily :  — 

"Have  ye  work  for  Aiken-Drum  ? 
Have  ye  work  for  Aiken-Drum  ? ' 

Then  the  brave  goodman  stood  forth,  and 

said:  "What  would  you?   Whence  come  you  by 

land  or  sea?" 


THE  BROWNIE  OF  BLEDNOCH    143 

Then  what  a  groan  gave  Aiken-Drum!  "I 
come  from  a  land  where  I  never  saw  the  sky! 
But  now  I'll  bide  with  you,  if  ye  have  work  for 
Aiken-Drum!  I'll  watch  your  sheep  and  tend 
your  kine,  each  night  till  day.  I'll  thresh  your 
grain  by  the  light  of  the  moon.  I'll  sing  strange 
songs  to  your  bonny  bairns,  if  ye  '11  but  keep  poor 
Aiken-Drum!  I'll  churn  the  cream,  I'll  knead 
the  bread,  I'll  tame  the  wildest  colts  ye  have,  if 
ye '11  but  keep  poor  Aiken-Drum!  No  clothes 
nor  gold  is  wage  for  me.  A  bowl  of  porridge  on 
the  warm  hearthstone  is  wage  enough  for  Aiken- 
Drum!" 

"The  Brownie  speaks  well,"  said  the  old  house- 
wife. "Our  workers  are  scarce.  We  have  much 
to  do.   Let  us  try  this  Aiken-Drum." 

Then  should  you  have  seen  the  Brownie  work! 
By  night  he  swept  the  kitchen  clean.  He  scoured 
the  pots  until  they  shone.  By  the  light  of  the 
moon  he  threshed  the  grain.  He  gathered  the 
crops  into  the  barn.  He  watched  the  sheep 
and  tended  the  kine.  By  day  he  played  with 
the  bonny  bairns,  and  sang  them  strange  songs 
of  the  land  without  sky.  So  passed  the  months 
away,  and  all  farm-things  throve  for  the  good- 
man  and  the  old  housewife. 

But  when  the  cold  night  winds  blew  hard,  a 
lass,  who  saw  the  Brownie's  clothes  woven  all  of 
rushes  green,  made  him  a  suit  of  sheep's  wool 


144    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

warm.    She  placed  it  by  his  porridge  bowl.   And 

that  night  was  heard  a  wailing  cry,  so  weary  and 

so  dreary :  —  > 

"Long,  long  may  I  now  weep  and  groan! 
Wages  of  clothes  are  now  my  own  ! 
0  luckless  Aiken-Druml" 

And  down  the  street  and  through  the  town, 

his  voice  came  back  upon  the  wind :  — 

"Farewell  to  Blednoch! 
Farewell !  Farewell ! ' ' 

And  never  again  in  all  that  land  was  seen  the 
Brownie  Aiken-Drum! 


ELSA  AND  THE  TEN  ELVES 

From  Sweden 

Once  upon  a  time  a  little  girl  named  Elsa  lived 
on  a  farm.  She  was  pretty,  sweet-tempered,  and 
generous,  but  she  did  not  like  to  work.  Her 
father  was  very  proud  of  her,  and  sent  her  to 
school  in  the  city.  She  learned  to  read,  write, 
sing,  and  dance,  but  still  she  did  not  know  how  to 
cook,  sew,  or  care  for  a  house. 

When  she  grew  older,  she  was  so  good  and  beau- 
tiful that  many  young  men  wished  her  for  a  wife, 
but  she  said  "No"  to  all  except  to  her  neighbour, 
Gunner,  a  handsome,  industrious  young  farmer. 
Soon  they  were  married,  and  went  to  live  on  his 
farm. 

At  first  all  was  happiness,  but  as  the  days 
passed,  and  Elsa  did  not  direct  the  servants  or 
look  after  the  house,  everything  went  wrong. 
The  storerooms  were  in  disorder,  the  food  was 
stolen,  and  the  house  dirty.  Poor  Gunner  was  at 
his  wits'  end ;  he  loved  Elsa  too  much  to  scold  her. 

The  day  before  Christmas  came,  the  sun  had 
been  up  for  a  long  time,  and  still  Elsa  lay  in  bed. 
A  servant  ran  into  her  room,  saying :  — 

"Dear  mistress,  shall  we  get  ready  the  men's 
luncheon  so  that  they  may  go  to  the  woods?" 


146    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

"Leave  the  room,"  said  Elsa  sleepily,  "and  do 
not  waken  me  again!" 

Another  servant  came  running  in.  "Dear  mis- 
tress," she  cried,  "the  leaven  is  working,  and  if 
you  come  quickly  the  bread  will  be  better  than 
usual."         *  P 

"I  want  candlewicks,  dear  mistress,"  called  a 
third. 

"And  what  meat  shall  we  roast  for  to-morrow's 
feast?  "  shouted  a  fourth. 

And  so  it  was;  servant  after  servant  came  run- 
ning into  the  room  asking  for  orders,  but  Elsa 
would  neither  answer  nor  get  up. 

Last  of  all  came  Gunner,  impatient  because  his 
men  had  not  yet  started  for  the  woods. 

"Dear  Elsa,"  he  said  gently,  "my  mother  used 
to  prepare  things  the  night  before,  so  that  the 
servants  might  begin  work  early.  We  are  now 
going  to  the  woods,  and  shall  not  be  back  until 
night.  Remember  there  are  a  few  yards  of  cloth 
on  the  loom  waiting  to  be  woven."  Then  Gunner 
went  away. 

As  soon  as  he  was  gone,  Elsa  got  up  in  a  rage, 
and,  dressing  herself,  ran  through  the  kitchen  to 
the  little  house  where  the  loom  was  kept.  She 
slammed  the  door  behind  her,  and  threw  herself 
down  on  a  couch. 

"No!"  she  screamed.  "I  won't!  —  I  won't 
endure  this  drudgery  any  more!    Who  would 


ELSA  AND  THE  TEN  ELVES       147 

have  thought  that  Gunner  would  make  a  servant 
of  me,  and  wear  my  life  out  with  work?  Oh,  me! 
Oh,  me !  Is  there  no  one  from  far  or  near  to  help 
me?  " 

"I  can,"  said  a  deep  voice. 

And  Elsa,  raising  her  head  with  fright,  saw 
standing  close  to  her  an  old  man  wrapped  in  a 
gray  cloak  and  wearing  a  broad-brimmed  hat. 

"I  am  Old  Man  Hoberg,"  he  said,  "and  have 
served  your  family  for  many  generations.  You, 
my  child,  are  unhappy  because  you  are  idle.  To 
love  work  is  a  joy.  I  will  now  give  you  ten  obedi- 
ent servants  who  shall  do  all  your  tasks  for  you." 

He  shook  his  cloak,  and  out  of  its  folds  tum- 
bled ten  funny  little  men.  They  capered  and 
pranced  about,  making  faces.  Then  they  swiftly 
put  the  room  in  order  and  finished  weaving  the 
cloth  on  the  loom.  After  all  was  done  they  ran 
and  stood  in  an  obedient  row  before  Elsa. 

"Dear  child,  reach  hither  your  hands,"  said 
the  old  man. 

And  Elsa,  trembling,  gave  him  the  tips  of  her 
fingers. 

Then  he  said:  — 

"Hop-o'-My-Tkumb, 
Lick-the-Pot, 
Long-Pole, 
Heart-in-Ifand, 
Little-Peter-Funny-Man, 
Away  all  of  you  to  your  places ■/" 


148    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

And  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  the  little  men 
vanished  into  Elsa's  fingers,  and  the  old  man  dis- 
appeared. 

Elsa  could  hardly  believe  what  had  happened, 
and  sat  staring  at  her  hands.  Suddenly  a  won- 
derful desire  to  work  came  over  her.  She  could 
sit  still  no  longer. 

"Why  am  I  idling  here?"  cried  she  cheerfully. 
"It  is  late  in  the  morning  and  the  house  is  not 
in  order!  The  servants  are  waiting."  And  up  she 
jumped  and  hastened  into  the  kitchen,  and  was 
soon  giving  orders  and  singing  while  she  prepared 
the  dinner. 

And  when  Gunner  came  home  that  night  all 
was  clean  and  bright  to  welcome  him,  and  the 
smell  of  good  things  to  eat  filled  the  house. 

And  after  that  day  Elsa  rose  early  each  morn- 
ing, and  went  about  her  work  sweet-tempered 
and  happy.  No  one  was  more  pleased  and  proud 
than  she  to  see  how  the  work  of  the  farmhouse 
prospered  under  her  hands.  And  health,  wealth, 
and  happiness  came  and  stayed  with  Elsa  and 
Gunner. 


PISKEY  FINE!  AND  PISKEY  GAY! 

From  Cornwall 

'T  is  told  in  the  west  country,  how  the  Piskey 
threshed  the  corn,  and  did  other  odd  jobs  for 
Farmer  Boslow  as  long  as  the  old  man  lived.  And 
after  his  death  the  Piskey  worked  for  his  widow. 
And  this  is  how  she  lost  the  little  fellow. 

One  night,  when  the  hills  were  covered  with 
snow,  and  the  wind  was  blowing  hard,  the  Widow 
Boslow  left  in  the  barn,  for  the  Piskey,  a  larger 
bowl  than  usual  full  of  milk  thickened  with  oat- 
meal. It  was  clear  moonlight,  and  she  stopped 
outside  the  door,  and  peeped  in  to  see  if  the  Pis- 
key would  come  to  eat  his  supper  while  it  was 
hot. 

The  moonlight  shone  through  a  little  window 
on  to  the  barn  floor;  and  there,  sitting  on  a  sheaf 
of  oats,  she  saw  the  Piskey  greedily  eating  his 
thickened  milk.  He  soon  emptied  the  bowl  and 
scraped  it  as  clean  with  the  wooden  spoon  as  if 
it  had  been  washed.  Then  he  placed  them  both 
in  a  corner,  and  stood  up  and  patted  and  stroked 
his  stomach,  and  smacked  his  lips,  as  if  to  say: 
"That's  good  of  the  old  dear!  See  if  I  don't 
thresh  well  for  her  to-night!" 

But  when  the  Piskey  turned  around,  the  widow 


150    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

saw  that  he  had  nothing  on  but  rags,  and  very 
few  of  them. 

"How  the  poor  Piskey  must  suffer!"  thought 
she.  "  He  has  to  pass  most  of  his  time  out  among 
the  rushes  in  the  boggy  moor,  and  his  legs  are 
naked,  and  his  breeches  are  full  of  holes.  I'll 
make  the  poor  fellow  a  good  warm  suit  of  home- 
spun, at  once!" 

No  sooner  thought  than  she  went  home  and 
began  the  suit.  In  a  day  or  two  she  had  made  a 
coat  and  breeches,  and  knitted  a  long  pair  of 
sheep's  wool  stockings,  with  garters  and  a  night- 
cap all  nicely  knitted,  too. 

When  night  came,  the  widow  placed  the  Pis- 
key's  new  clothes  and  a  big  bowl  of  thickened 
milk  on  the  barn  floor,  just  where  the  moonlight 
fell  brightest.  Then  she  went  outside,  and 
peeped  through  the  door. 

Soon  she  saw  the  Piskey  eating  his  supper,  and 

squinting  at  the  new  clothes.  Laying  down  his 

empty  bowl,  he  took  the  things,  and  put  them 

on  over  his  rags.   Then  he  began  capering  and 

jumping  around  the  barn,  singing:  — 

"Piskey  fine!  and  Piskey  gay! 
Piskey  now  will  run  away  I" 

And  sure  enough,  he  bolted  out  of  the  door, 
and  passed  the  widow,  without  so  much  as  "I 
wish  you  well  till  I  see  you  again! "  And  he  never 
came  back  to  the  farm. 


THE  FAIRY  WEDDING 

From  Sweden 

Once  upon  a  time  there  was  a  lovely  young  girl, 
daughter  of  rich  parents,  who  was  known  for  her 
gentleness  and  goodness. 

One  night,  while  she  was  lying  awake  in  her 
bed,  watching  the  moonbeams  dance  on  the  floor, 
her  door  was  softly  opened.  Then  in  tripped  a 
little  Fairy  man  clad  in  a  gray  jacket  and  red  cap. 
He  came  lightly  toward  her  bed,  nodding  in  a 
most  friendly  way. 

"Do  not  be  afraid,  dear  lady,"  he  said.  "I 
have  come  to  ask  a  favour  of  you." 

"And  I  will  do  it  willingly,  if  I  can,"  answered 
the  girl,  who  had  begun  to  recover  from  her 
fright. 

"Oh,  it  will  not  be  difficult!"  said  the  Fairy 
man.  "For  many  years  I  and  mine  have  lived 
under  the  floor  of  your  kitchen,  just  where  the 
water-cask  stands.  But  the  cask  has  become 
old  and  leaky,  so  that  we  are  continually  an- 
noyed by  the  dripping  of  water.  Our  home  is 
never  dry." 

"That  shall  be  seen  to  in  the  morning,"  said 
the  girl'. 

"Thank  you,  dear  lady,"  said  the  Fairy  man, 


152    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

and  making  an  elegant  bow,  he  disappeared  as 
softly  as  he  had  come. 

The  next  day,  at  the  girl's  request,  her  par- 
ents had  the  water-cask  removed.  And  after  that, 
to  the  surprise  of  the  servants,  the  kitchen- work- 
was  done  at  night  when  all  slept,  and  never  a 
pitcher  or  glass  was  broken  in  the  house  from  that 
day  forth.  So  the  Fairies  showed  their  gratitude. 

Well,  a  few  months  after  this,  the  pretty  young 
girl  was  again  lying  awake  in  her  bed,  watching 
the  moonbeams  dance  on  the  floor,  when  again 
her  door  was  opened  softly,  and  the  Fairy  man 
stole  in. 

"Dear  lady,"  said  he,  smiling  and  bowing, 
"now  I  have  another  request  to  make,  which,  in 
your  kindness,  you  will  surely  not  refuse  to  grant." 

"What  is  it?"  asked  she. 

"Will  you  honour  me  and  my  house,  to-night," 
he  replied,  "and  stand  at  the  christening  of  my 
newly  born  daughter?" 

The  girl  arose  and  dressing  herself,  followed 
the  Fairy  man  through  many  passages  and  rooms 
that  she  had  never  known  existed.  At  last  they 
entered  a  small  but  elegant  apartment,  in  which 
a  host  of  Fairies  were  assembled.  They  imme- 
diately christened  the  Fairy  baby.  And  as  the 
little  man  was  about  to  conduct  the  girl  again 
to  her  room,  the  Fairies  filled  her  pockets  with 
what  looked  like  shavings. 


THE  FAIRY  WEDDING  153 

The  little  man  then  led  her  back  through  the 
same  winding  passages,  and  as  soon  as  she  was 
safely  in  her  room,  he  said :  — 

"If  we  should  meet  at  another  time,  you  must 
never  laugh  at  me  and  mine.  We  love  you  for 
your  goodness  and  modesty,  but  if  you  laugh  at 
us,  you  and  I  shall  never  see  each  other  again." 

When  he  was  gone  the  girl  threw  all  the  shav- 
ings into  the  fireplace,  and  lay  down,  and  went 
to  sleep.  And,  lo,  the  next  morning  when  the 
maid  came  in  to  build  the  fire,  she  found  in  the 
ashes  the  most  beautiful  jewelry,  all  of  pure  gold 
set  with  gems,  and  of  the  finest  workmanship! 

Now,  it  happened,  some  time  after  this,  that 
the  girl's  wedding  day  arrived.  There  was  great 
bustling,  and  preparations  for  a  splendid  feast. 
At  length  the  wedding  hour  came.  The  bride, 
beautifully  dressed  and  wearing  her  Fairy  jewels 
and  a  crown  on  her  golden  hair,  was  conducted 
to  the  hall  where  the  guests  were  waiting. 

During  the  ceremony  she  chanced  to  glance 
around  the  hall.  She  saw,  near  the  fireplace,  all 
her  friends  the  Fairies  gathered  for  a  wedding 
feast.  The  bridegroom  was  a  little  Elf,  and  the 
bride  was  her  goddaughter,  and  the  feast  was 
spread  on  a  golden  table. 

No  one  but  the  girl  could  see  the  Fairies.  Just 
at  that  moment  one  of  the  Elves,  who  was  acting 
as  waiter  at  the  Fairy  bridal,  stumbled  over  a 


154    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

twig  that  lay  on  the  floor,  and  fell.  Forgetting 
the  caution  that  the  little  man  had  given  her,  the 
girl  burst  into  a  hearty  laugh. 

Instantly  the  golden  table,  the  Elfin  bride- 
groom and  bride,  and  all  the  Fairy  guests  van- 
ished. And  from  that  day  to  this,  no  work  was 
ever  done  at  night  in  that  kitchen,  nor  were  any 
Fairies  ever  seen  about  that  house. 


THE  TOMTS 

From  Sweden 

Every  child  knows  —  or  ought  to  know  if  he 
does  not  know  —  that  the  Tomt  is  a  queer  little 
Elfin  man,  old  and  wizen,  and  clad  in  gray  clothes 
and  red  cap.  He  lives  in  the  pantry  or  in  the  barn. 
At  night  he  washes  the  dishes  and  sweeps  the 
kitchen  floor,  or  threshes  the  farmer's  corn  and 
looks  after  his  sheep.  Oh,  the  Tomt  is  a  very 
friendly  Elf,  but  his  feelings  are  easily  hurt!  And 
if  any  one  is  impolite  to  him,  he  runs  away,  and 
is  never  seen  again. 

Now,  it  happened,  once  upon  a  time,  that  there 
was  a  farmer  whose  crops  and  flocks  and  herds 
prospered  so  well  that  all  knew  he  was  aided  by 
a  Tomt.  In  fact  he  became  the  richest  farmer  in 
his  neighbourhood.  Although  he  had  few  serv- 
ants, his  house  was  always  in  order,  and  his 
grain  nicely  threshed.  But  he  never  saw  the  Elf 
who  did  all  these  things  for  him. 

One  night  he  decided  to  watch  and  see  who 
worked  in  his  barn.  He  hid  behind  a  door.  By 
and  by  he  saw,  not  one  Tomt,  but  a  multitude 
of  Tomts  come  into  the  barn.  Each  carried  a 
stalk  of  rye;  but  the  littlest  Tomt  of  all,  not 
bigger  than  a  thumb,  puffed  and  breathed  very 


156    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

hard,  although  he  carried  but  a  straw  on  his 
shoulder. 

"Why  do  you  puff  so  hard?"  cried  the  farmer 
from  his  hiding-place.  "Your  burden  is  not  so 
great!" 

"His  burden  is  according  to  his  strength,  for 
he  is  but  one  night  old,"  answered  one  of  the 
Tomts.   "Hereafter  you  shall  have  less!" 

And  with  that  all  the  little  men  vanished,  and 
the  grain  lay  unthreshed  on  the  barn  floor. 

And  from  that  day  all  luck  disappeared  from 
the  farmer's  house,  and  he  was  soon  reduced  to 
beggary. 


SONG  OF  THE  ELFIN  MILLER 

Full  merrily  rings  the  millstone  round, 

Full  merrily  rings  the  wheel, 
Full  merrily  gushes  out  the  grist  — 

Come,  taste  my  fragrant  meal! 
As  sends  the  lift  its  snowy  drift, 

So  the  meal  comes  in  a  shower; 
Work,  Fairies,  fast,  for  time  flies  past  — 

I  borrowed  the  mill  an  hour. 

The  miller  he 's  a  worldly  man, 

And  maun  hae  double  fee; 
So  draw  the  sluice  of  the  churl's  dam, 

And  let  the  stream  come  free. 
Shout,  Fairies,  shout !  see,  gushing  out, 

The  meal  comes  like  a  river: 
The  top  of  the  grain  on  hill  and  plain 

Is  ours,  and  shall  be  ever. 

One  Elf  goes  chasing  the  wild  bat's  wing 

And  one  the  white  owl's  horn; 
One  hunts  the  fox  for  the  white  o'  his  tail, 

And  we  winna  hae  him  till  morn. 
One  idle  Fay,  with  the  glow-worm's  ray, 

Runs  glimmering  'mong  the  mosses: 
Another  goes  tramp  wi'  the  Will-o- wisps'  lamp, 

To  light  a  lad  to  the  lasses. 


158    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

Oh,  haste,  my  brown  Elf,  bring  me  corn 

From  Bonnie  Blackwood  plains; 
Go,  gentle  Fairy,  bring  me  grain 

From  green  Dalgona  mains; 
But,  pride  of  a'  at  Closeburn  ha', 

Fair  is  the  corn  and  fatter; 
Taste  Fairies,  taste,  a  gallanter  grist 

Has  never  been  wet  with  water. 

Hilloah!  my  hopper  is  heaped  high; 

Hark  to  the  well-hung  wheels! 
They  sing  for  joy;  the  dusty  roof 

It  clatters  and  it  reels. 
Haste,  Elves,  and  turn  yon  mountain  burn  - 

Bring  streams  that  shine  like  siller; 
The  dam  is  down,  the  moon  sinks  soon, 

And  I  maun  grind  my  miller. 

Ha!  bravely  done,  my  wanton  Elves, 

That  is  a  foaming  stream : 
See  how  the  dust  from  the  mill  flies, 

And  chokes  the  cold  moon-beam. 
Haste,  Fairies,  fleet  come  baptized  feet, 

Come  sack  and  sweep  up  clean, 
And  meet  me  soon,  ere  sinks  the  moon, 

In  thy  green  vale,  Dalreen. 

Allan  Cunningham 


FAYS  OF  WATER,  WOOD,  AND  MEADOW 


Over  hill,  over  dale, 

Through  bush,  through  briar, 
Over  park,  over  pale, 

Through  flood,  through  fire, 

I  do  wander  everywhere, 

Swifter  than  the  moon's  sphere; 
And  I  serve  the  Fairy  Queen, 
To  dew  her  orbs  upon  the  green. 
The  Cowslips  tall  fier  pensioners  be; 
In  their  gold  coats  spots  you  see; 
Those  be  rubies,  Fairy  favours, 
In  those  freckles  live  their  savours. 
I  must  go  seek  some  dew-drops  here, 
And  hang  a  pearl  in  every  Cowslip's  ear. 

Shakespeare 


v 


KINTARO  THE  GOLDEN  BOY 

From  Japan 

Once  upon  a  time  a  poor  widow  and  her  little 
boy  lived  in  a  cave  in  the  midst  of  a  great  forest. 
The  little  one's  name  was  Kintaro  the  Golden 
Boy.  He  was  a  sturdy  fellow  with  red  cheeks  and 
laughing  eyes.  He  was  different  from  other  boys. 
When  he  fell  down,  he  sang  cheerily;  if  he  wan- 
dered away  from  the  cave,  he  could  always  find 
his  way  home  again;  and  while  he  was  yet  very 
small,  he  could  swing  a  heavy  axe  in  circles  round 
his  head. 

Kintaro  grew  to  be  ten  years  old,  and  a  hand- 
some, manly  lad  he  was.  Then  his  mother  looked 
at  him  often  and  sighed  deeply.  "Must  my  child 
grow  up  in  this  lonely  forest!"  thought  she  sadly. 
"Will  he  never  take  his  place  in  the  world  of 
men!  Alas!  Alas!" 

f  But  Kintaro  was  perfectly  happy.  The  forest 
was  full  of  his  playmates.  Every  living  thing 
loved  him.  When  he  lay  on  his  bed  of  ferns,  the 
birds  flew  nestling  to  his  shoulder,  and  peeped 
into  his  eyes.  The  butterflies  and  moths  settled 
on  his  face,  and  trod  softly  over  his  brown  body. 
But  his  truest  friends  were  the  bears  that  dwelt 
in  the  forest.   When  he  was  tired  of  walking,  a 


162    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

mother-bear  carried  him  on  her  back.  Her  cubs 
ran  to  greet  him,  and  romped  and  wrestled  with 
him.  Sometimes  Kintaro  would  climb  up  the 
smooth-barked  monkey-tree,  and  sit  on  the  top- 
most bough,  and  laugh  at  the  vain  efforts  of  his 
shaggy  cub-friends  to  follow  him.  Then  came 
the  bears'  supper-time,  and  the  feast  of  golden 
liquid  honey! 

Now,  it  happened,  one  Summer,  that  there 
was  to  be  a  great  day  of  sports  for  the  forest 
creatures.  Soon  after  dawn,  a  gentle-eyed  stag 
came  to  waken  Kintaro.  The  boy,  with  a  fare- 
well kiss  to  his  mother,  and  a  caress  to  the  stag, 
leaped  on  his  friend's  back,  and  wound  his  arms 
around  his  soft  neck.  And  away  they  went  with 
long,  noiseless  bounds  through  the  forest. 

Up  hill,  across  valleys,  through  thickets  they 
bounded,  until  they  reached  a  leafy  spot  in  a 
wide,  green  glade  near  a  foaming  cataract.  There 
the  stag  set  Kintaro  down;  and  the  boy  seated 
himself  on  a  mossy  stone,  and  began  to  whistle 
sweetly. 

Immediately  the  forest  rustled  with  living 
things.  The  song-birds  came  swiftly  to  his  call. 
The  eagle  and  the  hawk  flew  from  distant  heights. 
The  crane  and  the  heron  stepped  proudly  from 
their  hyacinth-pools  and  hastened  to  the  glade. 
All  Kintaro's  feathered  friends  flocked  thither 
and  rested  in  the  cedar  branches.   Then  through 


KINTARO  THE  GOLDEN  BOY      163 

the  undergrowth  came  running  the  wolf,  the  bear, 
the  badger,  the  fox,  and  the  martin,  and  seated 
themselves  around  Kintaro. 

They  all  began  to  speak  to  him.  He  listened 
as  they  told  their  joys  and  sorrows,  and  he  spoke 
graciously  to  each.  For  Kintaro  had  learned  the 
languages  of  beasts,  birds,  and  flowers. 

And  who  had  taught  Kintaro  all  this?  The 
Tengus,  the  Wood-Elves.  And  even  while  he  was 
listening  to  the  forest  creatures,  the  Tengus 
themselves  came  tumbling  out  of  the  trees,  or 
popping  up  from  behind  stones.  Very  strange 
little  Elves  they  were!  Each  had  the  body  of  a 
man,  the  head  of  a  hawk,  powerful  claws,  and  a 
long,  long  nose  that  usually  trailed  on  the  ground. 
And  every  little  Tengu  wore  on  his  feet  tiny  stilt- 
like clogs. 

All  these  queer  Wood-Elves  came  toward 
Kintaro,  walking  very  proudly  with  their  arms 
crossed,  heads  well  thrown  back,  and  long  noses 
held  erect  in  the  air.  At  their  head  was  the  Chief 
Tengu,  very  old,  with  a  gray  beard  and  a  sharp 
beak. 

i  The  Chief  Tengu  seated  himself  beside  Kin- 
taro on  the  mossy  stone,  and  waved  a  seven- 
feathered  fan  in  the  air.  Immediately  the  sports 
began. 

The  young  Tengus  were  fond  of  games.  They 
found  their  long  noses  most  useful.    They  now 


164    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

fenced  with  them,  and  balanced  bowls  full  of 
gold-fish  on  them.  Then  two  of  the  Tengus 
straightened  their  noses,  and  joined  them  to- 
gether, and  so  made  a  tight  rope.  On  this  a  young 
Tengu,  with  a  paper  umbrella  in  one  hand,  and 
leading  a  little  dog  with  the  other,  danced  and 
jumped  through  a  hoop.  And  all  the  time  an  old 
Tengu  sang  a  dance-song,  and  another  Tengu 
beat  time  with  a  fan. 

Kintaro  cheered  loudly,  and  clapped  his  hands; 
and  the  beasts  and  birds  barked,  hissed,  growled, 
or  sang  for  pleasure.  So  the  morning  passed 
swiftly  and  delightfully,  and  the  time  came  for 
the  forest  animals  to  take  part  in  the  sports. 
They  did  so  running,  leaping,  tumbling,  and  fly- 
ing. 

Last  of  all  stood  up  a  great  father-bear  to 
wrestle  with  Kintaro.  Now,  the  boy  had  been 
taught  to  fight  by  his  friends  the  Tengus;  and  he 
had  learned  from  them  many  skilful  tricks.  So 
he  and  the  bear  gripped  each  other,  and  began 
to  wrestle  very  hard.  The  bear  was  powerful 
and  strong,  and  his  claws  like  iron,  but  Kintaro 
was  not  afraid.  Backward  and  forward  they 
swayed,  and  struggled,  while  the  Tengus  and  the 
forest  creatures  sat  watching. 

Now,  it  happened  that  the  great  Hero  Raiko 
was  just  returning  from  slaying  many  horrible 
ogres  and  hags.   His  way  lay  through  the  forest, 


KINTARO  THE  GOLDEN  BOY   165 

and  at  that  moment  he  heard  the  noise  of 
the  wrestling.  He  stopped  his  horse  and  peered 
through  the  trees  into  the  glade.  There  he  saw 
the  circle  of  animals  and  little  Tengus,  and  Kin- 
taro  struggling  with  the  powerful  bear.  Just  at 
that  moment  the  boy,  with  a  skilful  movement, 
threw  the  clumsy  creature  to  the  ground. 

"I  must  have  that  boy  for  my  son,"  thought 
Raiko.  "He  will  make  a  great  hero!  He  must 
be  mine!" 

So  he  waited  until  Kintaro  had  mounted  the 
stag  and  bounded  away  through  the  forest.  Then 
Raiko  followed  him  on  his  swift  steed  to  the  cave. 

When  Kintaro's  mother  learned  that  Raiko 
was  the  mighty  warrior  who  had  slain  the  ogres 
and  hags,  she  let  him  take  her  son  to  his  castle. 
But  before  Kintaro  went,  he  called  together  all 
his  friends,  the  Tengus,  the  birds,  and  the  beasts, 
and  bade  them  farewell,  in  words  that  they  re- 
member to  this  day. 

His  mother  did  not  follow  her  son  to  the  land 
of  men,  for  she  loved  the  forest  best;  but  Kin- 
taro, when  he  became  a  great  hero,  often  came 
to  see  her  in  her  home.  And  all  the  people  of 
Japan  called  him  "Kintaro  the  Golden  Boy." 


THE  FLOWER  FAIRIES 

From  China 

Once  upon  a  time,  high  on  a  mountain-side,  there 
was  a  place  where  many  beautiful  flowers  grew, 
mostly  Peonies  and  Camellias.  A  young  man 
named  Hwang,  who  wished  to  study  all  alone, 
built  himself  a  little  house  near  by. 

One  day  he  noticed  from  his  window  a  lovely 
young  girl  dressed  in  white,  wandering  about 
among  the  flowers.  He  hastened  out  of  the  house 
to  see  who  she  was,  but  she  ran  behind  a  tall 
white  Peony,  and  vanished. 

Hwang  was  very  much  astonished,  and  sat 
down  to  watch.  Soon  the  girl  slipped  from  be- 
hind the  white  Peony,  bringing  another  girl  with 
her  who  was  dressed  in  red.  They  wandered 
about  hand  in  hand  until  they  came  near  Hwang, 
when  the  girl  in  red  gave  a  scream,  and  together 
the  two  ran  back  among  the  flowers,  their  robes 
and  long  sleeves  fluttering  in  the  wind  and  scent- 
ing all  the  air.  Hwang  dashed  after  them,  but 
they  had  vanished  completely. 

That  evening,  as  Hwang  was  sitting  over  his 
books,  he  was  astonished  to  see  the  white  girl 
walk  into  his  little  room.  With  tears  in  her  eyes 
she  seemed  to  be  pleading  with  him  to  help  her. 


THE  FLOWER  FAIRIES  167 

Hwang  tried  to  comfort  her,  but  she  did  not 
speak.  Then,  sobbing  bitterly,  she  suddenly 
vanished. 

This  appeared  to  Hwang  as  very  strange.  How- 
ever, the  next  day  a  visitor  came  to  the  mountain, 
who,  after  wandering  among  the  flowers,  dug  up 
the  tall  white  Peony,  and  carried  it  off.  Hwang 
then  knew  that  the  white  girl  was  a  Flower 
Fairy;  and  he  became  very  sad  because  he  had 
permitted  the  Peony  to  be  carried  away.  Later 
he  heard  that  the  flower  had  lived  only  a  few 
days.  At  this  he  wept,  and,  going  to  the  place 
where  the  Peony  had  stood,  watered  the  spot 
with  his  tears. 

While  he  was  weeping,  the  girl  in  red  suddenly 
stood  before  him,  wringing  her  hands,  and  wiping 
her  eyes. 

"Alas!"  cried  she,  "that  my  dear  sister  should 
have  been  torn  from  my  side!  But  the  tears, 
Hwang,  that  you  have  shed,  may  be  the  means  of 
restoring  her  to  us!" 

Having  said  this,  the  red  girl  disappeared.  But 
that  very  night  Hwang  dreamed  that  she  came 
to  him,  and  seemed  to  implore  him  to  help  her, 
just  as  the  white  girl  had  done.  In  the  morning 
he  found  that  a  new  house  was  to  be  erected  close 
by,  and  that  the  builder  had  given  orders  to  cut 
down  a  beautiful  tall  red  Camellia. 

Hwang  prevented  the  destruction  of  the  flower; 


168    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

and  that  same  evening,  as  he  sat  watching  the 
Camellia,  from  behind  its  tall  stem  came  the  white 
girl  herself,  hand  in  hand  with  her  red  sister. 

" Hwang,' '  said  the  red  girl,  "the  King  of  the 
Flower  Fairies,  touched  by  your  tears,  has  re- 
stored my  white  sister  to  us.  But  as  she  is  now 
only  the  ghost  of  a  flower,  she  must  dwell  for- 
ever in  a  white  Peony,  and  you  will  never  see  her 
again." 

At  these  words  Hwang  caught  hold  of  the 
white  girl's  hand,  but  it  melted  away  in  his;  and 
both  the  sisters  vanished  forever  from  his  sight. 
In  despair  he  looked  wildly  around  him,  and  all 
that  he  saw  was  a  tall  white  Peony  and  a  beauti- 
ful red  Camellia. 

After  that  Hwang  pined,  and  fell  ill,  and  died. 
He  was  buried  at  his  own  request,  by  the  side  of 
the  white  Peony;  and  before  very  long  another 
white  Peony  grew  up  very  straight  and  tall  on 
Hwang's  grave;  so  that  the  two  flowers  stood 
lovingly  side  by  side. 


THE  FAIRY  ISLAND 

From  Cornwall 

In  ancient  days,  in  the  land  of  Wales,  there  was 
a  blue  lake  on  a  high  mountain.  No  one  had 
ever  seen  a  bird  fly  near  it.  And  over  its  waves 
came  faint  strains  of  delicious  music,  that  seemed 
to  float  from  a  dimly  seen  island  in  its  centre. 
No  one  had  ever  ventured  to  sail  on  its  water, 
for  every  one  knew  that  it  was  the  abode  of  the 
Tylwyth  Teg,  the  Water  Fairies. 

It  happened,  one  lovely  Summer  day,  that  a 
hunter  was  wandering  along  the  margin  of  the 
lake,  and  found  himself  before  an  open  door  in  a 
rock.  He  entered,  and  walked  along  a  dark  pas- 
sage that  led  downward.  He  followed  this  for 
some  time,  and  suddenly  found  himself  passing 
through  another  door,  that  opened  on  the  mys- 
terious, lovely  island,  the  home  of  the  Tylwyth 
Teg. 

All  around  him  was  a  most  enchanting  garden, 
where  grew  every  sort  of  delicious  fruit  and  fra- 
grant flower.  The  next  moment  a  number  of 
Fairies  advanced  toward  him,  and  graciously  wel- 
comed him  to  their  abode.  They  bade  him  eat  as 
much  fruit  as  he  wished,  and  pick  the  flowers,  but 
told  him  not  to  take  anything  away  with  him. 


170    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

All  day  he  remained  on  the  island,  listening  to 
the  most  ravishing  music,  and  feasting  and  danc- 
ing with  the  Fairies. 

When  it  came  time  for  him  to  leave,  he  hid  a 
flower  in  his  bosom,  for  he  wished  to  show  it  to 
his  friends  at  home.  He  then  said  farewell  to  the 
Fairies,  and  returned  through  the  dark  passage 
to  the  margin  of  the  lake.  But  when  he  put  his 
hand  in  his  bosom  to  pull  out  the  flower,  he  found 
to  his  amazement  that  it  had  vanished.  At  the 
same  moment  he  fell  insensible  to  the  ground. 

When  he  came  to  himself,  the  door  in  the  rock 
had  disappeared.  And  though  he  searched  day 
after  day,  he  never  again  found  the  passage  to 
the  Fairy  Island. 


THE  FOUR-LEAVED  CLOVER 

From  Cornwall 

Some  years  ago,  in  Cornwall,  there  was  a  farmer 
who  owned  a  fine  red  cow,  named  Rosy.  She 
gave  twice  as  much  milk  as  any  ordinary  cow. 
Even  in  Winter,  when  other  cows  were  reduced 
to  skin  and  bone,  Rosy  kept  in  good  condition, 
and  yielded  richer  milk  than  ever. 

One  Spring,  Rosy  continued  to  give  plenty  of 
milk  every  morning,  but  at  night,  when  Molly 
the  maid  tried  to  milk  her,  she  kicked  the  bucket 
over  and  galloped  away  across  the  field.  This 
happened  night  after  night,  and  such  behaviour 
was  so  strange,  that  Dame  Pendar,  the  farmer's 
wife,  decided  to  see  what  she  could  do.  But  no 
sooner  did  she  try  to  milk  Rosy  than  the  cow  put 
up  her  foot,  kicked  the  bucket  to  bits,  and  raced 
away,  bellowing,  tail-on-end. 

During  this  Spring  the  farmer's  cattle  and 
fields  thrived  wonderfully.  And  so  things  con- 
tinued until  May  Day.  Now,  on  May  Day  night, 
when  Molly  attempted,  as  usual,  to  milk  Rosy, 
she  was  surprised  to  see  the  cow  stand  quietly 
and  to  hear  her  begin  to  moo  gently;  and,  more 
wonderful  still,  the  pail  was  soon  full  of  foaming 
new  milk.  Molly  rose  from  her  stool,  and,  pull- 


172    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

ing  a  handful  of  grass,  rolled  it  into  a  pad,  and 
tucked  it  in  her  hat,  so  that  she  might  the  more 
easily  carry  the  bucket  on  her  head. 

She  put  the  hat  on  again,  when  what  was  her 
amazement  to  see  whole  swarms  of  little  Fairies 
running  around  Rosy,  while  others  were  on  her 
back,  neck,  and  head,  and  still  others  were  under 
her,  holding  up  clover  blossoms  and  buttercups 
in  which  to  catch  the  streams  of  milk  that  flowed 
from  her  udder.  The  little  Fairies  moved  around 
so  swiftly  that  Molly's  head  grew  dizzy  as  she 
watched  them.  Rosy  seemed  pleased.  She  tried 
to  lick  the  Little  People.  They  tickled  her  behind 
the  horns,  ran  up  and  down  her  back,  smoothing 
each  hair  or  chasing  away  the  flies.  And  after 
all  the  Fairies  had  drunk  their  fill,  they  brought 
armfuls  of  clover  and  grass  to  Rosy;  and  she  ate 
it  all,  and  lowed  for  more. 

Molly  stood  with  her  bucket  on  her  head,  like 
one  spell-bound,  watching  the  Little  People;  and 
she  would  have  continued  to  stand  there,  but 
Dame  Pendar,  the  farmer's  wife,  called  her 
loudly  to  know  why  she  had  not  brought  the  milk, 
if  there  was  any. 

At  the  first  sound  of  Dame  Pendar's  voice,  all 
the  Fairies  pointed  their  fingers  at  Molly,  and 
made  such  wry  faces  that  she  was  frightened  al- 
most to  death.  Then  —  whisht  and  they  were 
gone! 


THE  FOUR-LEAVED  CLOVER      173 

Molly  hurried  to  the  house,  and  told  her  mis- 
tress, and  her  master,  too,  all  that  she  had  seen. 

"Surely,"  said  Dame  Pendar,  "you  must  have 
a  Four-leaved  Clover  somewhere  about  you.  Give 
me  the  wad  of  grass  in  your  hat." 

Molly  took  it  out,  and  gave  it  to  her;  and  sure 
enough  there  was  the  Four-leaved  Clover  which 
had  opened  Molly's  eyes  on  that  May  Day. 

As  for  Rosy,  she  kicked  up  her  heels,  and,  bel- 
lowing like  mad,  galloped  away.  Over  meadows 
and  moors  she  went  racing  and  roaring,  and  was 
never  seen  again. 


THE  GILLIE  DHU 

From  Scotland 

Once  upon  a  time  a  little  girl,  named  Jessie,  was 
wandering  in  the  wood,  and  lost  her  way.  It 
was  Summer  time,  and  the  air  was  warm.  She 
wandered  on  and  on,  trying  to  find  her  way 
home,  but  she  could  not  find  the  path  out  of  the 
wood.  Twilight  came,  and  weary  and  footsore 
she  sat  down  under  a  fir  tree,  and  began  to  cry. 

"Why  are  you  crying,  little  girl?"  said  a  voice 
behind  her. 

Jessie  looked  around,  and  saw  a  pretty  little 
man  dressed  in  moss  and  green  leaves.  His  eyes 
were  dark  as  dark,  and  his  hair  was  black  as  black, 
and  his  mouth  was  large  and  showed  a  hundred 
white  teeth  as  small  as  seed  pearls .  He  was  smiling 
merrily,  and  his  cream-yellow  cheeks  were  dimpled, 
and  his  eyes  soft  and  kindly.  Indeed,  he  seemed 
so  friendly  that  Jessie  quite  forgot  to  be  afraid. 

"Why  are  you  crying,  little  girl?"  he  asked 
again.  "Your  tear-drops  are  falling  like  dew  on 
the  blue  flowers  at  your  feet!" 

"I've  lost  my  way,"  sobbed  Jessie,  "and  the 
night  is  coming  on." 

"Do  not  cry,  little  girl,"  said  he  gently.  "I  will 
lead  you  through  the  wood.    I  know  every  path 


THE  GILLIE  DHU  175 

—  the  rabbit's  path,  the  hare's  path,  the  fox's 
path,  the  goat's  path,  the  path  of  the  deer,  and 
the  path  of  men." 

"Oh,  thank  you!  Thank  you!"  exclaimed 
Jessie,  as  she  looked  the  tiny  man  up  and  down, 
and  wondered  to  see  his  strange  clothes. 

"Where  do  you  dwell,  little  girl?"  asked  he. 

So  Jessie  told  him,  and  he  said:  "You  have 
been  walking  every  way  but  the  right  way.  Fol- 
low me,  and  you'll  reach  home  before  the  stars 
come  out  to  peep  at  us  through  the  trees." 

Then  he  turned  around,  and  began  to  trip 
lightly  in  front  of  her,  and  she  followed  on.  He 
went  so  fast  that  she  feared  she  might  lose  sight  of 
him,  but  he  turned  around  again  and  again  and 
smiled  and  beckoned.  And  when  he  saw  that  she 
was  still  far  behind,  he  danced  and  twirled  about 
until  she  came  up.  Then  he  scampered  on  as  before. 

At  length  Jessie  reached  the  edge  of  the  wood, 
and,  oh,  joy!  there  was  her  father's  house  beside 
the  blue  lake.  Then  the  little  man,  smiling,  bade 
her  good-bye. 

"Have  I  not  led  you  well?"  said  he.  "Do  not 
forget  me.  I  am  the  Gillie  Dhu  from  Fairyland. 
I  love  little  girls  and  boys.  If  you  are  ever  lost 
in  the  wood  again,  I  will  come  and  help  you! 
Good-bye,  little  girl !  Good-bye ! " 

And  laughing  merrily,  he  trotted  away,  and 
was  soon  lost  to  sight  among  the  trees. 


HOW  KAHUKURA  LEARNED  TO 
MAKE  NETS 

From  New  Zealand 

Once  upon  a  time  there  lived  a  man  named  Kahu- 
kura.  One  evening,  when  he  was  on  his  way  to 
a  distant  village,  he  came  to  a  lonely  spot  on 
the  seashore.  As  he  was  walking  slowly  along, 
he  saw  a  large  pile  of  the  heads  and  tails  of  fishes 
lying  on  the  beach.  Now,  in  those  days  men  had 
no  nets  and  were  obliged  to  catch  fish  with  spears 
and  hooks;  and  when  Kahukura  saw  the  pile  he 
was  very  much  astonished. 

"Who  has  had  such  luck!"  he  exclaimed.  "It 
is  hard  to  catch  one  fish !  Here  must  be  the  heads 
and  tails  of  a  thousand!" 

Then  he  looked  closely  at  the  footprints  in  the 
sand.  "No  mortals  have  been  fishing  here!"  he 
cried.  "Fairies  must  have  done  this!  I  will 
watch  to-night  and  see  what  they  do." 

So  when  darkness  came,  he  returned  to  the 
spot,  and  hid  behind  a  rock.  He  waited  a  long 
time,  and  at  last  he  saw  a  fleet  of  tiny  canoes 
come  spinning  over  the  waves.  They  ranged 
themselves  in  a  line  at  a  distance  from  the  shore, 
and  Kahukura  could  see  many  little  figures  in 
them  bending  and  pulling.    He  could  even  hear 


KAHUKURA  177 

small  voices  shouting:  "The  net  here!  The  net 
there!"  Then  the  little  figures  dropped  some- 
thing overboard,  and  began  to  haul  it  toward  the 
shore,  singing  very  sweetly  the  while. 

When  the  canoes  drew  near  land,  Kahukura 
saw  that  each  was  crowded  with  Fairies.  They 
all  sprang  out  upon  the  beach,  and  began  to 
drag  ashore  a  great  net  filled  with  fishes. 

While  the  Fairies  were  struggling  with  the  net 
Kahukura  joined  them,  and  hauled  away  at  a 
rope.  He  was  a  very  fair  man,  so  that  his  skin 
seemed  almost  as  white  as  the  Fairies',  and  they 
did  not  notice  him.  So  he  pulled  away,  and 
pulled  away,  and  soon  the  net  was  landed. 

The  Fairies  ran  forward  to  divide  the  catch.  It 
was  just  at  the  peep  of  dawn,  and  they  hurried 
to  take  all  the  fish  they  could  carry,  each  Fairy 
stringing  his  share  by  running  a  twig  through 
the  gills.  And  as  they  strung  the  fish  they  kept 
calling  out  to  one  another:  — 

"Hurry!  hurry!  We  must  finish  before  the 
sun  rises." 

Kahukura  had  a  short  string  with  a  knot  in 
the  end,  and  he  strung  his  share  on  it,  until  it 
was  filled.  But  when  he  lifted  the  string  the  knot 
gave  way,  and  all  the  fish  slid  to  the  ground.  Then 
some  of  the  Fairies  ran  forward  to  help  him,  and 
tied  the  knot.  Again  he  filled  the  string  and  all  the 
fish  slid  off,  and  again  the  Fairies  tied  the  knot. 


178    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

Meanwhile  day  began  to  break  over  the  sea, 
and  the  sun  to  rise.  Then  the  Fairies  saw  Kahu- 
kura's  face,  and  knew  that  he  was  a  man.  They 
gave  little  cries  of  terror.  They  ran  this  way  and 
that  in  confusion.  They  left  their  fish  and  canoes, 
they  abandoned  their  net.  And  shrieking  they 
all  vanished  over  the  sea. 

Kahukura,  seeing  that  he  was  alone,  made 
haste  to  examine  the  canoes.  They  were  only  the 
stems  of  flax!  He  lifted  the  net.  It  was  woven  of 
rushes  curiously  tied.  He  carried  it  home,  and 
made  some  like  it  for  his  neighbours.  After  that 
he  taught  his  children  how  to  weave  nets.  And 
so,  say  the  Maori  folk,  they  all  learned  to  make 
nets.  And  from  that  day  to  this  they  have  caught 
many  fish. 


ECHO,  THE  CAVE  FAIRY 

From  the  Island  of  Mangaia 

In  the  very  long  ago,  Rangi  the  Brave  came  from 
the  Land-of-the-Bright-Parrot-Feathers  to  the 
Island  of  Mangaia.  Swiftly  over  the  blue  waves 
sped  his  canoe.  He  stepped  out  upon  the  land, 
and  lay  down  to  rest  in  the  shade  of  a  broad- 
leaved  tree  covered  with  gorgeous  blooms.  And 
after  he  had  slept  and  was  refreshed,  he  arose  and 
wandered  about  the  island. 

Beautiful  was  the  place  with  cocoa  palms  wav- 
ing their  tall  fronds  in  the  air,  and  with  banana 
trees  heavy  with  golden  fruit.  But  though  Rangi 
walked  all  that  day  and  the  next,  he  saw  no  hu- 
man being.  He  heard  no  sounds  except  the  beat 
of  the  sea  against  the  shore,  and  the  whirring  of 
hundreds  of  bright-winged  birds  that  passed  like 
flashes  of  blue,  green,  and  crimson,  from  tree  to 
tree,  and  from  grove  to  grove.  Softly  the  per- 
fumed breezes  fanned  his  cheek,  and  played  in 
his  hair. 

"Like  a  lovely  dream  is  this  island!"  thought 
he,  "but  as  lonely  as  the  sea  on  a  moonlit 
night!" 

Then  to  comfort  himself  he  threw  back  his 
head  and  called:  "Halloo!  Halloo!" 


180    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

And  from  a  pile  of  rocks  overhanging  a  deep 
gorge,  a  voice  answered:  "Halloo!" 

"Who  art  thou?"  cried  Rangi  in  wonder. 
"What  is  thy  name?" 

And  the  voice  answered  more  softly:  "What 
is  thy  name?" 

"Where  art  thou?  Where  art  thou  hidden?" 
he  shouted. 

And  the  voice  answered  mockingly:  "Where 
art  thou  hidden?" 

Then  Rangi  in  anger  shouted  fiercely:  "Ac- 
cursed be  thou,  hide-and-seek  spirit!" 

And  the  voice  screamed  back  as  if  in  derision : 
"Accursed  be  thou!" 

Thereupon  Rangi  grasped  his  spear  tighter, 
and  strode  toward  the  rocks,  determined  to 
punish  the  insolent  one.  Leaping  from  boulder 
to  boulder,  he  entered  the  gorge.  And  ever 
as  he  proceeded,  he  shouted  threats;  and  ever 
the  mocking  voice  answered  from  some  distant 
spot. 

The  gorge  grew  darker  and  narrower,  until 
Rangi  suddenly  found  himself  in  a  wide-mouthed 
cavern.  Its  walls  and  roof  glittered  with  pend- 
ant crystals  from  which  fell,  drop  by  drop,  clear 
water  like  dew.  A  white  mist  rose  from  the 
rocky  floor,  and  through  it  Rangi  saw  dimly  a 
lovely  Fairy  face  gazing  roguishly  at  him.  It 
was  wreathed  in  rippling  hair,  and  crowned  with 


ECHO,  THE  CAVE  FAERY  181 

flowers.    Archly  it  smiled,  then  melted  away  in 
the  mist. 

Who  art  thou?"  whispered  Rangi  in  awe. 


(6 

"Art  thou  Echo  indeed?" 


And  from  the  glittering  walls  and  roof  came  a 
thousand  sweet  answers:  — 
"Echo  indeed!" 


THE  ISLES  OF  THE  SEA  FAIRIES 

Among  the  Isles  of  the  Golden  Mist, 

I  lived  for  many  a  year; 
And  all  that  chanced  unto  me  there 

'T  is  well  that  ye  should  hear. 

I  dwelt  in  a  hall  of  silvery  pearl, 

With  rainbow-light  inlaid; 
I  sate  on  a  throne,  old  as  the  sea, 

Of  the  ruby  coral  made. 

They  made  me  King  of  the  Fairy  Isles, 

That  lie  in  the  Golden  Mist, 
Where  the  coral  rocks  and  the  silvery  sand 

By  singing  waves  are  kissed. 

Far  off,  in  the  ocean  solitudes, 

They  lie,  a  glorious  seven; 
Like  a  beautiful  group  of  sister  stars, 

In  the  untraced  heights  of  heaven. 

Oh,  beautiful  Isles !  where  the  coral  rocks 
Like  an  ancient  temple  stand, 

Like  a  temple  of  wondrous  workmanship 
For  a  lofty  worship  planned! 


THE  ISLES  OF  THE  SEA  FAIRIES    183 

Oh,  beautiful  Isles!  And  a  Fairy  race, 

As  the  dream  of  a  poet,  fair, 
Now  hold  the  place  by  a  charmed  spell, 

With  power  o'er  sea  and  air. 

Their  boats  are  made  of  the  large  pearl-shell 

That  the  waters  cast  to  land; 
With  carved  prows  more  richly  wrought 

Than  works  of  mortal  hand. 

They  skim  along  the  silver  waves 

Without  or  sail  or  oar; 
Whenever  the  Fairy  voyager  would, 

The  pearl-ship  comes  to  shore. 

I  loved  that  idle  life  for  a  time; 

But  when  that  time  was  by, 
I  pined  again  for  another  change, 

For  the  love  in  a  human  eye. 

They  brought  me  then  a  glorious  form, 

And  gave  her  for  my  bride; 
I  looked  on  her,  and  straight  forgot 

That  I  was  to  earth  allied. 

For  many  a  year  and  more,  I  dwelt 

In  those  Isles  of  soft  delight; 

Where  all  was  kind  and  beautiful, 

\  With  neither  death  nor  night. 


184    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

We  danced  on  the  sands  when  the  silver  moon 
Through  the  coral  arches  gleamed, 

And  pathways  broad  of  glittering  light 
O  'er  the  azure  waters  streamed. 

Then  shot  forth  many  a  pearly  boat, 

Like  stars,  across  the  sea; 
And  songs  were  sung,  and  shells  were  blown 

That  set  wild  music  free. 

For  many  a  year  and  more,  I  dwelt 

With  neither  thought  nor  care, 
Till  I  forgot  almost  my  speech, 

Forgot  both  creed  and  prayer. 

At  length  it  chanced  that  as  my  boat 

Went  on  its  charmed  way, 
I  came  unto  the  veil  of  mist 

Which  round  the  Seven  Isles  lay. 

Even  then  it  was  a  Sabbath  morn; 

A  ship  was  passing  by, 
And  I  heard  a  hundred  voices  raise 

A  sound  of  psalmody. 

A  mighty  love  came  o'er  my  heart, 

A  yearning  toward  my  kind, 
And  unwittingly  I  spoke  aloud 

The  impulse  of  my  mind. 


THE  ISLES  OF  THE  SEA  FAIRIES    185 

"Oh,  take  me  hence,  ye  Christian  men!" 
I  cried  in  spiritual  want; 
Anon  the  Golden  Mist  gave  way, 
That  had  been  like  adamant. 

The  little  boat  wherein  I  sate 
I     Seemed  all  to  melt  away; 
And  I  was  left  upon  the  sea,    (; 
Like  Peter,  in  dismay. 

Those  Christian  mariners,  amazed, 

Looked  on  me  in  affright; 
Some  cried  I  was  an  evil  Ghost, 

And  some  a  Water-Sprite. 

But  the  chaplain  seized  the  vessel's  boat, 
With  mercy  prompt  and  boon, 

And  took  me  up  into  the  ship 
As  I  fell  into  a  swoon. 

In  vain  I  told  of  what  had  happed; 

No  man  to  me  would  list; 
They  jested  at  the  Fairy  Isles, 

And  at  the  Golden  Mist. 

They  swore  I  was  a  shipwrecked  man, 
*      Tossed  on  the  dreary  main; 
And  pitied  me,  because  they  thought 
My  woes  had  crazed  my  brain. 


186    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

And  soon  a  wondrous  thing  I  saw; 
i  I  now  was  old  and  gray, 
A  man  of  threescore  years  and  ten,  — 
A  weak  man  in  decay! 

And  yesterday,  and  I  was  young! 

Time  did  not  leave  a  trace 
Upon  my  form,  whilst  I  abode 

Within  the  charmed  place! 

Mary  Howitt  (Condensed) 


AWAY!  AWAY!  TO  FAIRYLAND 


But  we  that  live  in  Fairyland 

No  sickness  know,  nor  pain; 
I  quit  my  body  when  I  will, 

And  take  to  it  again. 

Our  shapes  and  size  we  can  convert 

To  either  large  or  small, 
An  old  nut-shell  *s  the  same  to  us 

As  is  the  lofty  hall. 

We  sleep  in  rose-buds  soft  and  sweet, 

We  revel  in  the  stream, 
We  wanton  lightly  on  the  wind, 

Or  glide  on  a  sunbeam. 

Old  Ballad 


THE  MAGIC  FERNS 

From  Cornwall 

Not  many  years  since  there  lived  in  Cornwall 
a  pretty  young  girl  named  Cherry.  As  she  and 
her  mother  were  poor,  Cherry  determined  to  go 
out  to  service.  So  one  morning  early,  she  took 
her  little  bundle  of  clothes,  and  started  out  to 
find  a  place  with  some  respectable  family.  She 
walked  until  she  came  to  four  cross-roads,  and, 
not  knowing  which  to  follow,  she  sat  down  on  a 
boulder  to  think. 

The  spot  where  she  sat  was  covered  with  beau- 
tiful ferns  that  curled  their  delicate  fronds  over 
the  boulder.  And  while  she  was  lost  in  thought, 
she  unconsciously  picked  a  few  fronds  and  crushed 
them  in  her  hand. 

Immediately  she  heard  a  strange  voice  at  her 
elbow  say :  — 

"My  pretty  young  woman,  what  are  you  look- 
ing for?" 

She  glanced  up,  and  saw  standing  near  her  a 
handsome  young  man,  who  was  holding  a  bunch 
of  the  ferns. 

"I  am  looking  for  a  place,  sir,"  said  she. 

"And  what  kind  of  a  place  do  you  wish?" 
asked  he,  with  a  sweet  and  winning  smile. 


190    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

"I  am  not  particular,"  answered  she.  "I  can 
make  myself  generally  useful." 

"Indeed!"  said  the  stranger.  "And  do  you 
think  you  could  look  after  one  little  boy?" 

"That  I'd  love  to  do!"  said  she,  smiling. 

"Then,"  replied  he,  "I  wish  to  hire  you  for  a 
year  and  a  day.  My  home  is  not  far  from  here. 
Will  you  go  with  me,  Cherry,  and  see  it?" 

Cherry  stared  in  astonishment  to  hear  him 
speak  her  name;  and  he  added:  — 

"Oh!  I  see  you  thought  that  I  did  not  know 
you!  I  watched  you  one  day  while  you  were 
dressing  your  hair  beside  one  of  my  ponds;  and  I 
saw  you  pluck  some  of  my  sweetest-scented  vio- 
lets to  put  in  those  lovely  tresses!  But  will  you 
go  with  me,  Cherry?" 

"For  a  year  and  a  day?"  asked  she. 

"You  need  not  be  alarmed,"   said  he  very 

kindly.    "Just  kiss  the  fern  leaf  that  is  in  your 

hand,  and  say:  — 

'For  a  year  and  a  day 
I  promise  to  stay  I*  " 

"Is  that  all!"  said  Cherry.  So  she  kissed  the 
fern  leaf,  and  said  the  words  as  he  told  her 
to. 

Instantly  the  young  man  passed  the  bunch  of 
ferns  that  he  held  over  both  her  eyes.  The  ground 
in  front  of  her  seemed  to  open;  and,  though  she 
did  not  feel  herself  move  from  the  boulder  where 


THE  MAGIC  FERNS  191 

she  sat,  yet  she  knew  that  she  was  going  down 
rapidly  into  the  earth. 

"Here  we  are,  Cherry,"  said  the  young  man. 
"  Is  there  a  tear  of  sorrow  under  your  eyelid?  If 
so,  let  me  wipe  it  away,  for  no  human  tear  can 
enter  our  dwelling." 

And  as  he  spoke  he  brushed  Cherry's  eyes  with 
the  fern  leaves.  And,  lo !  before  her  was  such  a 
country  as  she  had  never  dreamed  of! 

Hills  and  valleys  were  covered  with  flowers 
strangely  brilliant,  so  that  the  whole  country  ap- 
peared to  be  sown  with  gems  that  glittered  in 
a  light  as  clear  as  that  of  the  Summer  sun,  yet 
as  mild  as  moonshine.  There  were  glimmering 
rivers,  and  singing  waterfalls,  and  sparkling 
fountains;  while  everywhere  beautiful  little  ladies 
and  gentlemen,  dressed  in  green  and  gold,  were 
walking,  or  sitting  on  banks  of  flowers.  Oh!  it 
was  a  wonderful  world ! 

"Here  we  are  at  home!"  said  the  young  man  — 
and  strangely  enough  he  was  changed!  He  had 
become  the  handsomest  little  man  Cherry  had 
ever  seen,  and  he  wore  a  green  silk  coat  covered 
with  spangles  of  gold. 

He  led  her  into  a  noble  mansion,  the  furniture 
of  which  was  of  ivory  and  pearl,  inlaid  with  gold 
and  silver  and  studded  with  emeralds.  After 
passing  through  many  rooms  they  came  to  one 
whose  walls  were  hung  with  lace  as  fine  as  the 


192    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

finest  cobwebs,  and  most  beautifully  twined  with 
flowers.  In  the  middle  of  the  room  was  a  cradle 
of  wrought  sea-shell,  reflecting  so  many  colours 
that  Cherry  could  scarcely  bear  to  look  at  it. 
The  little  man  led  her  to  this,  and  in  it  was  lying 
asleep  a  little  boy  so  beautiful  that  he  ravished 
the  sight. 

"This  is  your  charge,''  said  the  little  man.  "I 
am  King  of  this  country,  and  I  wish  my  son  to 
know  something  of  human  nature.  You  have 
nothing  to  do  but  to  wash  and  dress  the  boy 
when  he  wakes,  to  take  him  walking  in  the  gar- 
den, to  tell  him  stories,  and  to  put  him  to  sleep 
when  he  is  weary." 

Cherry  was  delighted  beyond  words,  for  at 
first  sight  she  loved  the  darling  little  boy.  And 
when  he  woke,  he  seemed  to  love  her  just  as 
dearly.  She  was  very  happy,  and  cared  tenderly 
for  him;  and  the  time  passed  away  with  aston- 
ishing rapidity.  In  fact  it  seemed  scarcely  a  week 
later,  when  she  opened  her  eyes  and  found  every- 
thing about  her  changed.  Indeed,  there  she  was 
lying  in  her  own  bed  in  her  mother's  cottage! 

She  heard  her  mother  calling  her  name  with 
joy;  and  the  neighbours  came  crowding  around 
her  bed.  It  was  just  one  year  and  a  day  from  the 
time  when  she  had  sat  on  the  boulder,  and  had 
met  the  fine  young  man.  She  told  her  adventures 
to  all,  but  they  would  not  believe  her.  They  shook 


THE  MAGIC  FERNS  193 

their  heads  and  went  away,  saying:  "Poor  Cherry 
is  certainly  mad!" 

From  that  day  on,  she  was  never  happy,  but 
sat  pining,  and  dreaming  of  the  hour  when  she 
had  picked  the  magic  ferns.  And  though  she 
often  went  back  to  the  boulder,  she  never  again 
saw  the  young  man,  nor  found  the  way  to  Fairy- 
land. 


THE  SMITH  AND  THE  FAIRIES 

From  Scotland 

Years  ago  there  lived  in  Scotland  an  honest, 
hard-working  smith.  He  had  only  one  child,  a 
boy,  fourteen  years  of  age,  cheerful,  strong,  and 
healthy. 

Suddenly  the  boy  fell  ill.  He  took  to  his  bed, 
and  moped  away  whole  days.  No  one  could  tell 
what  was  the  matter  with  him.  Although  he  had 
a  tremendous  appetite,  he  wasted  away,  getting 
thin,  yellow,  and  old. 

At  last  one  morning,,  while  the  smith  was  stand- 
ing idly  at  his  forge,  with  no  heart  for  work,  he 
was  surprised  to  see  a  Wise-man,  who  lived  at 
some  distance,  enter  his  shop.  The  smith  has- 
tened to  tell  him  about  his  son,  and  to  ask  his 
advice. 

The  Wise-man  listened  gravely,  then  said: 
"The  boy  has  been  carried  away  by  the  Little 
People,  and  they  have  left  a  Changeling  in  his 
place." 

"Alas!  And  what  am  I  to  do?"  asked  the 
smith.  "How  am  I  ever  to  see  my  own  son 
again?" 

"I  will  tell  you  how,"  answered  the  Wise-man. 
"But  first,  to  make  sure  that  it  is  not  your  own 


THE  SMITH  AND  THE  FAIRIES    195 

son  you  have,  gather  together  all  the  egg-shells 
you  can  get.  Go  into  the  room  where  the  boy 
is,  and  spread  them  out  carefully  before  him. 
Then  pour  water  in  them,  and  carry  them  care- 
fully in  your  hands,  two  by  two.  Carry  them  as 
though  they  were  very  heavy,  and  arrange  them 
around  the  fireplace." 

The  smith,  accordingly,  collected  as  many 
egg-shells  as  he  could  find.  He  went  into  the 
room,  and  did  as  the  Wise-man  had  said. 

He  had  not  been  long  at  work,  before  there 
came  from  the  bed  where  the  boy  lay,  a  great 
shout  of  laughter,  and  the  boy  cried  out:  — 

"I  am  now  eight  hundred  years  old,  and  I  have 
never  seen  the  like  of  that  before!" 

The  smith  hurried  back,  and  told  this  to  the 
Wise-man. 

"Did  I  not  assure  you,"  said  the  Wise-man, 
"that  it  is  not  your  son  whom  you  have?  Your 
son  is  in  a  Fairy  Mound  not  far  from  here.  Get 
rid  as  soon  as  possible  of  this  Changeling,  and  I 
think  I  may  promise  you  your  son  again. 

"You  must  light  a  very  great  and  bright  fire 
before  the  bed  on  which  this  stranger  is  lying. 
He  will  ask  you  why  you  are  doing  so.  Answer 
him  at  once:  'You  shall  see  presently  when  I  lay 
you  upon  it.'  If  you  do  this,  the  Changeling  will 
become  frightened  and  fly  through  the  roof." 

The  smith  again  followed  the  Wise-man's  ad- 


196    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

vice;  kindled  a  blazing  fire,  and  answered  as  he 
had  been  told  to  do.  And,  just  as  he  was  going 
to  seize  the  Changeling  and  fling  him  on  the  fire, 
the  tiling  gave  an  awful  yell,  and  sprang  through 
the  roof. 

The  smith,  overjoyed,  returned  to  the  Wise- 
man, and  told  this  to  him. 

"On  Midsummer  Night,"  said  the  Wise-man, 
"the  Fairy  Mound,  where  your  boy  is  kept,  will 
open.  You  must  provide  yourself  with  a  dirk 
and  a  crowing  cock.  Go  to  the  Mound.  You  will 
hear  singing  and  dancing  and  much  merriment 
going  on.  At  twelve  o'clock  a  door  in  the  Mound 
will  open.  Advance  boldly.  Enter  this  door,  but 
first  stick  the  dirk  in  the  ground  before  it,  to 
prevent  the  Mound  from  closing.  You  will  find 
yourself  in  a  spacious  apartment,  beautifully 
clean;  and  there  working  at  a  forge,  you  will  see 
your  son.  The  Fairies  will  then  question  you, 
and  you  must  answer  that  you  have  come  for 
your  son,  and  will  not  go  without  him.  Do  this, 
and  see  what  happens!" 

Midsummer  Night  came,  and  the  smith  pro- 
vided himself  with  a  dirk  and  a  crowing  cock. 
He  went  to  the  Fairy  Mound,  and  all  happened 
as  the  Wise-man  had  said. 

The  Fairies  came  crowding  around  him,  buzz- 
ing and  pinching  his  legs;  and  when  he  said  that 
he  had  come  for  his  son,  and  would  not  go  away 


THE  SMITH  AND  THE  FAIRIES    197 

without  him,  they  all  gave  a  loud  laugh.  At  the 
same  minute  the  cock,  that  was  dozing  in  the 
smith's  arms,  woke  up.  It  leaped  to  his  shoulder, 
and,  clapping  its  wings,  crowed  loud  and  long. 

At  that  the  Fairies  were  furious.  They  seized 
the  smith  and  his  son  and  threw  them  out  of  the 
Mound,  and  pulled  up  the  dirk  and  flung  it  after 
them.  And  in  an  instant  all  was  dark. 

For  a  year  and  a  day  the  boy  never  spoke,  nor 
would  he  do  a  turn  of  work.  At  last  one  morning 
as  he  was  watching  his  father  finish  a  sword,  he 
exclaimed :  — 

L   "That's  not  the  way  to  do  it!" 
'    And  taking  the  tools  from  his  father's  hands, 
he  set  to  work,  and  soon  fashioned  a  glittering 
sharp  sword,  the  like  of  which  had  never  been 
seen  before. 

From  that  day  on,  the  boy  helped  his  father, 
and  showed  him  how  to  make  Fairy  swords,  and 
in  a  few  years  they  both  became  rich  and  famous. 
And  they  always  lived  together  contentedly  and 
happily. 


THE  COAL-BLACK  STEED 

From  England 

Late  one  night  —  a  bright,  quiet,  moonlit  night 
—  old  Dame  Moll  lay  snugly  sleeping  in  her  bed, 
when  suddenly  she  was  wakened  by  a  noise  like 
a  rushing  storm.  The  next  minute  there  came  a 
loud  rap!  rap!  rap!  at  her  cottage  door. 

Startled  and  frightened  she  sprang  out  of  bed, 
and  opened  the  door  on  a  crack. 

"Don't  be  afraid,  good  woman,"  said  a 
sqiieaky  voice.   "Open  wide!  Open  wide!" 

So  she  opened  a  bit  wider,  and  saw  a  strange, 
squint-eyed,  ugly  little  fellow  standing  on  the 
door-stone.  Somehow  the  look  in  his  eyes  seemed 
to  cast  a  spell  over  her,  and  made  her,  willy-nilly, 
open  the  door  very  wide. 

"My  wife  has  sent  for  you,  good  woman," 
said  he.  "You  must  come  with  me  and  bathe 
and  dress  our  new-born  child." 

"Your  wife!"  thought  the  poor  Dame. 
"Heaven  defend  me!  Sure  as  I  live  I  am  going 
to  care  for  a  little  Imp!" 

But  she  could  not  refuse  to  go,  for  the  spell  in 
the  little  man's  eyes  drew  her,  and  she  was  forced 
to  walk  toward  a  coal-black  steed  that  stood 
snorting  before  the  door.  Its  eyes  were  red-hot 
balls,  and  its  breath  was  like  smoke. 


THE  COAL-BLACK  STEED         199 

And  how  Dame  Moll  got  to  the  place  she  never 
could  tell.  But  suddenly  she  found  herself  set 
down  by  a  neat  but  poor  cottage,  and  saw  two 
tidy  children  playing  before  the  door.  In  a  minute 
she  was  seated  in  front  of  a  roaring  hearth-fire, 
washing  and  dressing  a  small  baby.  But  a  very 
active  and  naughty  baby  it  was,  though  only  an 
hour  old;  for  it  lifted  its  fist  and  gave  the  good 
Dame  such  a  rousing  box  on  her  ear,  that  it  made 
her  head  ring. 

"Anoint  its  eyes  with  this  salve,  my  good 
woman,"  said  the  mother,  who  was  lying  in  a 
neat  white  bed. 

So  Dame  Moll  took  the  box  of  salve,  and 
rubbed  a  bit  on  the  child's  eyes. 

"Why  not  a  drop  on  mine,"  thought  she, 
"since  it  must  be  Elfin  ointment."  So  she  rubbed 
her  finger  over  her  right  eye. 

O  ye  powers  of  Fairyland!  What  did  she  see! 

The  neat  but  homely  cottage  had  become  a 
great  and  beautiful  room.  The  mother,  dressed 
in  white  silk,  lay  in  an  ivory  bed.  The  babe  was 
robed  in  silvery  gauze.  The  two  older  children, 
who  had  just  come  into  the  cottage,  were  seated 
one  on  either  side  of  the  mother's  pillow.  But 
they,  too,  were  changed!  For  now  they  were 
little  flat-nosed  Imps  who,  with  mops  and  mows, 
and  with  many  a  grin  and  grimace,  were  pulling 
the  mother's  ears  with  their  long,  hairy  paws. 


200    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

When  Dame  Moll  saw  this,  she  knew  that  she 
was  in  a  place  of  enchantment,  and  without  say- 
ing a  word  about  having  anointed  her  own  eye, 
she  made  haste  to  finish  dressing  the  Elfin  babe. 

Then  the  squint-eyed  little  old  fellow  once 
more  placed  her  behind  him  on  the  coal-black 
steed,  and  away  they  went  sailing  through  the 
air.  And  he  set  her  down  safely  before  her  door. 

On  the  next  market-day,  when  Dame  Moll  was 
selling  eggs,  what  did  she  see  but  the  little  old 
fellow  himself  busied,  like  a  rogue,  stealing  some 
things  from  the  market-stalls. 

"Oh!  Ho!"  cried  she;  "I've  caught  you,  you 
thief!" 

"What!"  exclaimed  he.  "Do  you  see  me  to- 
day?" 

"See  you!  To  be  sure  I  do!  —  as  plain  as  the 
sun  in  the  sky!  And  I  see  you  very  busy  stealing, 
into  the  bargain ! " 

"With  which  eye  do  you  see  me?"  said  he. 

"With  my  right  eye,  to  be  sure,"  answered 
Dame  Moll. 

"The  ointment!  The  ointment!"  exclaimed 
the  little  man.  "Take  that  for  meddling  with 
what  did  not  belong  to  you!" 

And  he  struck  her  in  the  eye  as  he  spoke.  And 
from  that  day  to  this  old  Dame  Moll  has  been 
blind  in  the  right  eye.  And  surely  it  served  her 
right  for  stealing  the  Fairy  ointment. 


THE  GIRL  WHO  WAS  STOLEN  BY 
THE  FAIRIES 

From  Ireland 

Never  go  near  an  Elfin  Mound  on  May  Day. 
For  in  the  month  of  May  the  Fairies  are  very 
powerful,  and  they  wander  about  the  meadows 
looking  for  pretty  maidens  to  carry  off  to  Fairy- 
land. 

One  beautiful  May  Day  in  old  Ireland,  a 
young  girl  fell  asleep  at  noonday  on  an  Elfin 
Mound.  The  Fairies  saw  how  pretty  she  was, 
so  they  carried  her  off  to  Fairyland,  and  left  in 
her  stead  an  image  that  looked  exactly  like  her. 

Evening  fell,  and  as  the  girl  did  not  return 
home,  her  mother  sent  the  neighbours  to  look 
for  her  in  all  directions.  They  found  the  image, 
and,  thinking  that  it  was  the  girl  herself,  they 
carried  it  home,  and  laid  it  in  her  bed.  But  the 
image  neither  moved  nor  spoke,  and  lay  there 
silently  for  two  days. 

On  the  morning  of  the  third  day  an  old  Witch- 
woman  entered  the  house,  and  looking  at  the 
image,  said:  — 

"Your  daughter  is  Fairy-struck.  Rub  this 
ointment  on  her  forehead,  and  see  what  you  shall 
see!" 


202    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

Then  the  old  woman  placed  a  vial  of  green 
ointment  in  the  mother's  hand,  and  disappeared. 

The  mother  immediately  rubbed  the  forehead 
of  the  image,  and  the  girl  herself  sat  up  in  bed, 
weeping  and  wringing  her  hands. 

"Oh,  mother!"  she  cried.  "Oh,  why  did  you 
bring  me  back!  I  was  so  happy!  I  was  in  a 
beautiful  palace  where  handsome  Princesses  and 
Princes  were  dancing  to  the  sweetest  music. 
They  made  me  dance  with  them,  and  threw  a 
mantle  of  rich  gold  over  my  shoulders.  Now  it  is 
all  gone,  and  I  shall  never  see  the  beautiful  pal- 
ace any  more!" 

Then  the  mother  wept,  and  said:  "Oh,  my 
child,  stay  with  me!  I  have  no  other  daughter 
but  you !  And  if  the  Fairies  take  you,  I  shall  die ! " 

The  girl  wept  loudly  at  this,  and  throwing  her 
arms  around  her  mother's  neck,  kissed  her,  and 
promised  that  she  would  not  go  near  the  Elfin 
Mound.  And  she  kept  her  word,  so  she  never 
saw  the  Fairies  again. 


THE  GIRL  WHO  DANCED  WITH 
THE  FAIRIES 

From  Ireland 

One  must  never  wander  about  alone  on  Hal- 
lowe'en, for  then  the  Fairies  are  abroad  looking 
for  mortals  to  trick  and  lead  astray. 

Now,  there  was  once  a  girl,  the  prettiest  girl 
in  all  Ireland,  who  late  one  Hallowe'en  was  going 
to  a  spring  to  fetch  some  water.  Her  foot  slipped, 
and  she  fell.  When  she  got  up,  she  looked  about 
her,  and  saw  that  she  was  in  a  very  strange  place. 
A  great  fire  was  burning  near,  around  which 
a  number  of  people,  beautifully  dressed,  were 
dancing. 

A  handsome  young  man,  like  a  Prince,  with  a 
red  sash,  and  a  golden  band  in  his  hair,  left  the 
fire,  and  came  toward  her.  He  greeted  her  kindly, 
and  asked  her  to  dance. 

"It  is  a  foolish  thing,  sir,  to  ask  me  to  dance," 
replied  she,  "since  there  is  no  music." 

At  that  the  young  man  lifted  his  hand,  and 
instantly  the  most  delicious  music  sounded. 
Then  he  took  her  by  the  fingers  and  drew  her  into 
the  dance.  Around  and  around  they  whirled, 
and  they  danced  and  danced  until  the  moon  and 
stars  went  down.    And  all  the  time,  the  girl 


204    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

seemed  to  float  in  the  air,  and  she  forgot  every- 
thing except  the  sweet  music  and  the  young 
man. 

At  last  the  dancing  ceased,  and  a  door  opened 
in  the  earth.  The  young  man,  who  seemed  to  be 
the  King  of  all,  led  the  girl  down  a  pair  of  stairs, 
followed  by  all  the  gay  company.  At  the  end 
of  a  long  passage  they  came  to  a  hall  bright  and 
beautiful  with  gold  and  silver  and  lights.  A  table 
was  covered  with  every  good  thing  to  eat,  and 
wine  was  poured  out  in  golden  cups. 

The  young  man  lifted  a  cup,  and  offered  it  to 
the  girl;  at  the  same  moment  some  one  whispered 
in  her  ear:  — 

"Do  not  drink!  Do  not  eat!  If  you  do  either, 
you  will  never  see  your  home  again!" 

Well,  the  girl,  when  she  heard  that,  set  the  cup 
down  and  refused  to  drink.  Immediately  all  the 
company  grew  angry.  A  great  buzzing  arose. 
The  lights  went  out.  And  the  girl  felt  something 
grasp  her,  and  rush  her  forth  from  the  hall  and 
up  the  stairs;  and  in  a  minute  she  found  her- 
self beside  the  spring  holding  her  pitcher  in  her 
hand. 

She  did  not  wait  for  anything,  but  ran  home 
as  fast  as  she  could,  and  locked  herself  in  tight, 
and  crept  into  bed.  Then  she  heard  a  great 
clamour  of  little  voices  outside  her  door,  and  she 
could  hear  them  cry:  — 


DANCING  WITH  THE  FAIRIES     £05 

"The  power  we  had  over  you  to-night  is  gone, 
because  you  refused  to  drink!  But  wait  until 
next  Hallowe'en  Night,  when  you  dance  with 
us  on  the  hill !  Then  we  shall  keep  you  forever !  — 
forever!" 


ELIDORE  AND  THE  GOLDEN  BALL 

From  Wales 

Once  upon  a  time,  in  the  land  of  Wales,  near  the 
fall  of  the  Tawe  into  the  sea,  there  lived  a  boy 
called  Elidore.  He  was  a  bright  lad,  but  so  fond 
of  play  that  he  would  not  study  at  all.  His 
teacher  flogged  him  so  often  and  so  hard  that  one 
morning  Elidore  ran  away  from  home,  and  hid 
under  a  hollow  bank  by  the  side  of  the  river. 

There  he  stayed  two  nights  and  two  days,  get- 
ting hungrier  and  thirstier  every  moment.  At 
last,  when  it  seemed  as  if  he  could  stand  his  suf- 
ferings no  longer,  he  saw  a  little  door  open  in  the 
side  of  the  bank  and  two  Elfin  Men  step  out. 
They  stood  before  him,  and,  bowing  low,  said :  — 

"Come  with  us,  dear  boy,  and  we  will  lead 
you  to  a  land  full  of  delights  and  sports,  where 
you  may  play  all  the  time." 

Elidore  was  overjoyed.  He  rose  and  followed 
the  Elfin  Men  through  the  door.  They  conducted 
him  down  a  long,  dark  passage  through  the  hill. 
At  length  they  came  out  into  a  beautiful  coun- 
try adorned  with  singing  crystal  streams  and 
flowery  meadows.  But  it  was  always  twilight 
there,  for  the  fight  of  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars 
could  not  reach  that  land. 

The  Elfin  Men  led  Elidore  to  a  golden  palace, 


ELIDORE  AND  THE  GOLDEN  BALL    207 

and  presented  him  to  the  King  of  the  Elves,  who 
was  seated  upon  his  throne  and  was  surrounded 
by  a  train  of  little  people  richly  clad.  The  King 
questioned  Elidore  kindly,  then,  calling  his  eldest 
son,  the  Elfin  Prince,  bade  him  take  the  earth- 
boy  and  make  him  happy. 

So  Elidore  dwelt  in  Elfinland,  and  day  after 
day  was  fed  with  milk  and  saffron;  and  he  played 
with  the  Elfin  Prince,  tossing  gold  and  silver  balls. 
When  he  walked  in  the  meadows  to  pick  flowers, 
he  saw  everywhere  about  him  the  Elfin  people, 
with  long,  flowing  yellow  hair,  riding  on  little 
horses  and  chasing  tiny  deer  with  Fairy  hounds. 
For  all  the  people  in  Elfinland  played  and  rode 
about  night  and  day,  and  they  never  worked. 
Sometimes  on  moonlit  nights  they  rode  through 
the  dark  passage  to  the  upper  world,  and  danced 
in  Fairy  Rings  on  the  grass.  And  when  they  went 
to  their  dances,  they  took  Elidore  with  them. 

After  Elidore  had  lived  in  Elfinland  for  some 
time,  the  King  permitted  him  one  moonlit  night 
to  go  alone  through  the  dark  passage  to  visit  his 
mother.  He  did  so,  and  she  was  delighted  to  see 
him,  for  she  had  thought  him  dead.  He  told  her 
about  the  wonders  of  Elfinland,  and  how  he  was 
fed  on  milk  and  saffron,  and  played  with  gold  and 
silver  toys.  She  begged  him,  the  next  time  he 
came,  to  bring  her  a  bit  of  Fairy  Gold.  He  prom- 
ised to  do  so,  and  returned  to  Elfinland. 


208    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

It  so  happened,  one  day  soon  after  this,  that 
Elidore  was  playing  with  the  Elfin  Prince.  He 
snatched  a  beautiful  golden  ball  from  the  Prince's 
hands,  and  hastened  with  it  through  the  dark 
passage.  As  he  ran  he  heard  behind  him  the 
shouts  of  many  angry  Elves  and  the  sound  of 
their  horses'  hoofs,  and  the  barking  of  the  Fairy 
dogs;  and  knew  that  he  was  being  pursued. 

Faster  he  ran  in  terror,  but  nearer  came  the 
patter  of  a  thousand  little  feet,  and  the  Elfin 
shouts.  Still  more  terrified,  he  rushed  through 
the  door  in  the  hill  and  sped  homeward.  As  he 
sprang  into  his  mother's  house  his  foot  caught, 
and  he  fell  over  the  threshold.  At  the  same  mo- 
ment two  Elves,  who  had  outrun  the  others, 
leaped  over  him  and  snatched  the  golden  ball 
from  his  hands. 

"Thief!  "  "Robber!"  "Thief!"  they  screamed, 
and  vanished. 

As  for  Elidore,  he  rose  up  too  ashamed  to  eat 
or  sleep  that  night.  The  next  day  he  went  to  the 
river  bank  and  searched  for  the  door,  but  could 
find  no  trace  of  it.  And  though  he  searched  every 
day  for  a  year,  he  never  again  found  the  "en- 
trance to  Elfinland. 

But  from  that  time  he  was  a  changed  boy.  He 
studied  hard,  loved  truth,  and  hated  lying  and 
stealing.  And,  when  he  grew  up,  he  became  a 
great  man  in  Wales. 


AT  THE  COURT  OF  FAIRYLAND 
I 

QUEEN  MAB 

This  is  Mab,  the  mistress  Fairy, 
That  doth  nightly  rob  the  dairy, 
And  can  hurt  or  help  the  churning 
(As  she  please)  without  discerning. 
She  that  pinches  country  wenches, 
If  they  rub  not  clean  their  benches, 
And  with  sharper  nails  remembers 
When  they  rake  not  up  their  embers. 
But,  if  so  they  chance  to  feast  her, 
In  a  shoe  she  drops  a  tester. 

Ben  Jonson 

n 

QUEEN  MAB'S  CHARIOT 

Her  chariot  ready  straight  is  made; 
Each  thing  therein  is  fitting  laid, 
That  she  by  nothing  might  be  stayed, 

For  nought  must  be  her  letting: 
Four  nimble  gnats  the  horses  were, 
Their  harnesses  of  gossamer, 
Fly  Cranion,  her  charioteer, 

Upon  the  coach-box  getting. 


£10    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

Her  chariot  of  a  snail's  fine  shell, 
Which  for  the  colours  did  excel; 
The  fair  Queen  Mab  becoming  well, 

So  lively  was  the  limning: 
The  seat,  the  soft  wool  of  the  bee, 
The  cover  (gallantly  to  see) 
The  wing  of  a  pied  butterflee; 

I  trow  't  was  simple  trimming. 

The  wheels  composed  of  crickets'  bones, 
And  daintily  made  for  the  nonce; 
For  fear  of  rattling  on  the  stones, 

With  thistle-down  they  shod  it: 
For  all  her  maidens  much  did  fear, 
If  Oberon  had  chanced  to  hear, 
That  Mab  his  Queen  should  have  been  there, 

He  would  not  have  abade  it. 

She  mounts  her  chariot  with  a  trice, 
Nor  would  she  stay  for  no  advice, 
Until  her  maids  that  were  so  nice, 

To  wait  on  her  were  fitted, 
But  ran  herself  away  alone; 
Which  when  they  heard,  there  was  not  one, 
But  hasted  after  to  be  gone,    ' 

As  she  had  been  diswitted. 

Michael  Drayton 


AT  THE  COURT  OF  FAIRYLAND    211 

m 

MAB'S  ELFIN  MAIDS  OF  HONOUR 

Hop,  and  Mop,  and  Drop  so  clear, 
Pip,  and  Trip,  and  Skip,  that  were 
To  Mab  their  sovereign  ever  dear, 

Her  special  maids  of  honour. 
Fib,  and  Tib,  and  Pinck,  and  Pin, 
Tick,  and  Quick,  and  Jil,  and  Jin, 
Tit,  and  Nit,  and  Wap,  and  Win, 

The  train  that  wait  upon  her. 

Upon  a  grasshopper  they  got, 

And,  what  with  amble  and  with  trot, 

For  hedge  nor  ditch  they  spared  not, 

But  after  her  they  hie  them. 
A  cobweb  over  them  they  throw, 
To  shield  the  wind,  if  it  should  blow, 
Themselves  they  wisely  could  bestow, 

Lest  any  should  espy  them, 

Michael  Drayton 

IV 

KING  OBERON'S  PALACE 

This  palace  standeth  in  the  air, 
By  necromancy  placed  there, 
That  it  no  tempests  needs  to  fear, 
Which  way  so  e'er  it  blow  it: 


212    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

And  somewhat  southward  toward  the  noon 
Whence  lies  a  way  up  to  the  Moon, 
And  thence  the  Fairy  can  as  soon 
Pass  to  the  earth  below  it. 


The  walls  of  spiders'  legs  are  made, 
Well  morticed  and  finely  laid; 
He  was  the  master  of  his  trade, 

It  curiously  that  builded. 
The  windows  of  the  eyes  of  cats, 
And  for  the  roof,  instead  of  slats, 
Is  covered  with  the  skins  of  bats, 

With  moonshine  that  are  gilded. 

Michael  Drayton 

V 

THE  FAIRIES'  UMBRELLA 

I  spied  "King  Oberon  and  his  beauteous  Queen 

Attended  by  a  nimble-footed  train 
Of  Fairies  tripping  o'er  the  meadow's  green, 
And  to  mewards    (methought)   they  came 
amain. 
I  couched  myself  behind  a  bush  to  spy, 
What  would  betide  the  noble  company. 

It  'gan  to  rain,  the  King  and  Queen  they  run 
Under  a  mushroom,  fretted  overhead, 


AT  THE  COURT  OF  FAIRYLAND    213 

With  glowworms  artificially  done, 

Resembling  much  the  canopy  of  a  bed 

Of  cloth  of  silver:  and  such  glimmering  light 
It  gave,  as  stars  do  in  a  frosty  night. 

Old  Poem 

VI 

A  FAIRY'S  ARMOUR 

He  put  his  acorn  helmet  on; 

It  was  plumed  of  the  silk  of  the  thistle  down; 

The  corslet-plate  that  guarded  his  breast 

Was  once  the  wild  bee's  golden  vest; 

His  cloak,  of  a  thousand  mingled  dyes, 

Was  formed  of  the  wings  of  butterflies; 

His  shield  was  the  shell  of  a  lady-bug  queen, 

Studs  of  gold  on  a  ground  of  green; 

And  the  quivering  lance  which  he  brandished 

bright, 
Was  the  sting  of  a  wasp  he  had  slain  in  fight. 
Swift  he  bestrode  his  fire-fly  steed; 

He  bared  his  blade  of  the  bent-grass  blue; 
He  drove  his  spurs  of  the  cockle-seed, 

And  away  like  a  glance  of  thought  he  flew, 
To  skim  the  heavens,  and  follow  far 
The  fiery  trail  of  the  rocket-star. 

Joseph  Rodman  Drake 


214    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

vn 

FAIRY  REVELS 

Come,  follow,  follow  me, 
You  Fairy  Elves  that  be, 
Which  circle  on  the  green, 
Come,  follow  Mab  your  Queen. 
Hand  in  hand  let's  dance  around, 
For  this  place  is  Fairy  ground. 

When  mortals  are  at  rest 
And  snoring  in  their  nest, 
Unheard  and  unespied, 
Through  keyholes  we  do  glide; 
Over  tables,  stools,  and  shelves, 
We  trip  it  with  our  Fairy  Elves. 

And  if  the  house  be  foul 
With  platter,  dish,  or  bowl, 
Upstairs  we  nimbly  creep, 
And  find  the  maids  asleep: 

There  we  pinch  their  arms  and  thighs; 

None  escapes,  nor  none  espies. 

But  if  the  house  be  swept 
And  from  uncleanness  kept, 
We  praise  the  household  maid, 
And  duly  she  is  paid; 
For  we  use  before  we  go 
To  drop  a  tester  in  her  shoe. 


AT  THE  COURT  OF  FAIRYLAND    215 

Upon  a  mushroom's  head 

Our  table-cloth  we  spread; 

A  grain  of  rye  or  wheat 

Is  manchet  which  we  eat; 
Pearly  drops  of  dew  we  drink 
In  acorn  cups  filled  to  the  brink. 

The  brains  of  nightingales, 
With  unctuous  fat  of  snails, 
Between  two  cockles  stewed, 
Is  meat  that's  easily  chewed; 
Tails  of  worms  and  marrow  of  mice 
Do  make  a  dish  that's  wondrous  nice. 

The  grasshopper,  gnat,  and  fly 

Serve  for  our  minstrelsy; 

Grace  said,  we  dance  awhile, 

And  so  the  time  beguile: 
And  if  the  moon  doth  hide  her  head, 
The  glow-worm  lights  us  home  to  bed. 

On  tops  of  dewy  grass 

So  nimbly  do  we  pass, 

The  young  and  tender  stalk 

Ne'er  bends  when  we  do  walk; 
Yet  in  the  morning  may  be  seen 
Where  we  the  night  before  have  been. 

Old  Ballad 


216    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 
vm 

FAIRY  SONGS 

Where  the  bee  sucks,  there  suck  I: 

In  a  cowslip's  bell  I  lie; 

There  I  couch,  when  owls  do  cry: 

On  the  bat's  back  I  do  fly 

After  summer  merrily. 

Merrily,  merrily,  shall  I  live  now, 
Under  the  blossom  that  hangs  on  the  bough! 

Shakespeare 

From  Oberon  in  Fairyland, 

The  King  of  ghosts  and  shadows  there, 
Mad  Robin,  I,  at  his  command, 

Am  sent  to  view  the  night-sports  here. 
What  revel  rout 
Is  kept  about, 
In  every  corner  where  I  go, 

I  will  o'ersee,  and  merry  be, 
And  make  good  sport,  with  ho !  ho !  ho ! 

More  swift  than  lightning  can  I  fly 

About  this  airy  welkin  soon, 
And  in  a  minute's  space  descry 

Each  thing  that's  done  below  the  moon. 
There's  not  a  hag 
Or  ghost  shall  wag, 


AT  THE  COURT  OF  FAIRYLAND    217 

Or  cry,  ware  Goblins!  where  I  go; 

But  Robin,  I,  their  feats  will  spy,     / 
And  send  them  home  with  ho!  ho!  ho! 


By  wells  and  rills,  in  meadows  green, 

We  nightly  dance  our  hey-day  guise, 
And  to  our  Fairy  King  and  Queen 
We  chant  our  moonlight  minstrelsies. 
When  larks  'gin  sing, 
Away  we  fling, 
And  babes  new-born  steal  as  we  go, 
And  Elf  in  bed  we  leave  instead, 
And  wend  us  laughing,  ho!  ho!  ho! 

Old  Ballad  (Condensed) 


PART  TWO 

FAIRY  STORIES 


Fairy  Godmothers  and  Wonderful  Gifts 


Rap  !  Rap  I  Rap  t 
'  Who 's  tirling  at  the  pin  f  " 
I  'm  your  Fairy  Godmother. 
Will  you  let  me  in?" 

'  Pointed  red  cap, 
Long  peaked  chin, 
Twinkling  black  eyes, 
Why  should  I  let  you  in?" 

Rap  !  Rap  !  Rap  !  — 
:  Open  wide  your  door, 
I  'm  your  Fairy  Godmother, 
With  gifts  three-scorer* 


CINDERELLA 

OR 

THE  LITTLE  GLASS  SLIPPER 

Once  upon  a  time  there  was  a  gentleman  who 
married  for  his  second  wife  a  woman  who  was 
the  haughtiest  and  proudest  ever  seen.  She  had 
two  daughters  who  resembled  her  in  temper.  The 
husband,  however,  had  a  young  daughter  by  his 
first  wife,  who  was  of  a  sweetness  and  goodness 
without  limit.  She  was  like  her  own  mother,  who 
had  been  the  most  sweet-tempered  woman  in  the 
world. 

The  wedding  was  no  sooner  over  than  the  step- 
mother began  to  show  her  bad  disposition.  She 
could  not  endure  the  young  girl,  whose  sweet- 
ness made  her  own  daughters  seem  more  detest- 
able. She  forced  her  to  do  the  hardest  work  in 
the  house.  It  was  she  who  washed  the  dishes  and 
put  them  in  their  places.  It  was  she  who  pol- 
ished the  bedroom  floors  for  her  stepmother  and 
two  sisters.  She  slept  under  the  eaves  in  a  garret, 
on  a  wretched  mattress;  while  her  sisters  lay  in 
elegant  rooms  where  the  beds  were  soft  and  white, 
and  the  walls  were  lined  with  long  mirrors  in  which 
the  sisters  could  see  themselves  from  head  to  foot. 

The  poor  girl  suffered  all  this  with  patience. 


222    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

And  she  did  not  dare  complain  to  her  father,  for 
he  would  have  scolded  her,  as  he  was  completely 
governed  by  his  wife. 

Each  day,  after  the  girl  had  finished  her  work, 
she  sat  down  in  the  chimney-corner  among  the 
cinders  —  so  they  called  her  Cinderella.  Never- 
theless, Cinderella,  in  spite  of  her  shabby  clothes, 
was  more  polite  and  a  hundred  times  more  beau- 
tiful than  her  sisters,  although  they  were  magni- 
ficently dressed. 

It  happened  one  day  that  the  King's  son  gave 
a  ball,  and  that  he  invited  everybody  of  rank. 
The  ugly  sisters  were  also  invited,  because  they 
always  made  a  grand  figure  at  all  Court  festivi- 
ties. They  were  very  glad  at  the  thought  of 
attending  the  royal  ball,  and  busied  themselves 
in  choosing  the  robes  and  head-dresses  which 
should  be  most  becoming.  But,  alas !  it  was  more 
trouble  and  work  for  Cinderella,  for  it  was  she 
who  did  her  sisters'  ironing,  and  fluted  their 
ruffles.  Night  and  morning,  they  talked  only  of 
their  clothes. 

"I,"  said  the  eldest,  "shall  wear  my  red  velvet 
robe  with  rich  lace  trimming." 

"I,"  said  the  younger,  "shall  have  only  my 
plain  skirt,  but  to  make  up  for  its  plainness,  I 
shall  put  on  my  cloak  flowered  with  gold*  and 
my  tiara  of  diamonds." 

They  called  in  Cinderella  to  ask  her  advice, 


CINDERELLA 

for  she  had  excellent  taste.  Cinderella  gave 
them  the  best  counsel  in  the  world,  and  even 
offered  to  do  their  hair,  for  which  they  were  very 
glad.  And  while  she  was  arranging  their  locks  in 
two  rows  of  puffs,  they  asked:  — 

"Cinderella,  would  you  not  be  delighted  to  go 
to  the  ball?" 

"Alas,  you  are  mocking  me!"  replied  she.  "It 
would  be  no  place  for  me!" 

"You  are  right,"  answered  the  sisters,  laugh- 
ing scornfully.  "Everybody  would  laugh  well  to 
see  such  a  scrub-girl  as  you  at  the  ball!" 

Any  one  but  Cinderella  would  have  done  their 
hair  crooked  out  of  rage,  but  she  was  so  sweet 
that  she  did  her  very  best.  They  went  two  days 
without  eating,  so  excited  were  they  with  joy. 
They  broke  a  dozen  lacings  trying  to  make  their 
waists  smaller,  and  they  spent  all  their  time  be- 
fore the  mirrors. 

At  last  the  happy  day  arrived,  and  as  they 
departed  for  the  ball,  Cinderella  followed  them 
with  her  eyes  as  long  as  she  could.  Then  she 
burst  into  tears. 

Her  Godmother,  who  saw  her  in  tears,  asked 
what  was  the  matter. 

"I  wish  —  I  wish — "  and  Cinderella  sobbed 
so  that  she  could  not  finish. 

Her  Godmother,  who  was  a  Fairy,  said:  "You 
wish  to  go  to  the  ball,  don't  you?" 


224    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

>"Alas!  Yes!"  sighed  Cinderella. 

"Then  be  a  good  girl,"  said  her  Godmother, 
"and  you  shall  go.  Now,  run  into  the  garden 
and  bring  me  a  pumpkin." 

Cinderella  went,  and  picked  the  biggest  she 
could  find;  and  as  she  carried  it  to  her  God- 
mother, she  wondered  how  that  pumpkin  could 
help  her  go  to  the  ball. 

Her  Godmother  scooped  out  all  the  inside, 
leaving  only  the  rind  which  she  struck  with  her 
wand.  Instantly  it  became  a  golden  coach.  Then 
she  went  to  look  at  the  mousetrap  in  which  she 
found  six  mice.  She  bade  Cinderella  open  the 
trap,  and,  as  each  mouse  sprang  out,  she  touched 
it  with  her  wand.  And  instantly  it  was  changed 
into  a  handsome  horse. 

As  the  Godmother  was  wondering  out  of  what 
to  make  a  coachman,  Cinderella  said:  "I  will 
go  and  see  if  there  is  a  rat  in  the  trap  —  then  we 
can  make  a  coachman." 

"That  is  a  good  thought,"  said  her  Godmother, 
"go  and  see." 

Cinderella  brought  the  trap  in  which  were 
three  large  rats.  Her  Godmother  chose  one  of 
the  three  because  of  his  long  whiskers;  and  when 
she  touched  him,  he  was  instantly  changed  into  a 
big  coachman  who  had  the  handsomest  mous- 
taches ever  seen. 

Then  she  said  to  Cinderella:  "Go  into  the  gar- 


CINDERELLA  225 

den.  You  will  find  there  six  lizards  behind  the 
watering-pot.  Bring  them  to  me." 

Cinderella  had  no  sooner  brought  them  than 
they  were  changed  into  six  footmen  in  gold-laced 
coats,  who  sprang  up  behind  the  coach  with  the 
air  of  never  having  done  anything  else  in  their 
lives. 

Then  the  Fairy  said  to  Cinderella:  "Here  is  a 
fine  coach  in  which  to  go  to  the  ball!  Are  you 
not  glad?" 

"Yes,"  replied  she,  "but  must  I  go  in  these 
ugly  clothes?" 

Her  Godmother,  in  answer,  touched  her  with 
her  wand,  and  instantly  her  old  clothes  were 
changed  into  robes  of  gold  and  silver  embroidered 
with  gems.  Then  her  Godmother  presented  her 
with  a  pair  of  glass  slippers,  the  prettiest  in  the 
world. 

Now  that  Cinderella  was  all  dressed,  she  got 
into  the  coach;  but  her  Godmother  told  her  above 
all  things  not  to  remain  a  minute  later  than  mid- 
night. For  if  she  remained  a  single  minute  longer, 
her  coach  would  become  a  pumpkin;  her  horses, 
mice;  her  coachman,  a  rat;  and  her  footmen,  liz- 
ards; while  all  her  fine  clothes  would  change  to 
rags. 

Cinderella  promised  her  Godmother  that  she 
would  not  fail  to  return  before  midnight. 

She  departed  for  the  ball,  so  joyful  that  she 


226    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAERIES 

did  not  know  herself.  The  King's  son,  who  was 
informed  by  his  servants  of  the  arrival  of  a 
beautiful  Princess  whom  nobody  knew,  ran  to 
receive  her.  He  assisted  her  to  descend  from  the 
coach,  and  led  her  into  the  hall  where  the  guests 
were  assembled. 

There  was  a  great  silence.  People  stopped 
dancing,  and  the  violins  ceased  playing,  while 
all  crowded  around  to  see  the  beauty  of  the 
unknown  one.  Then  a  confused  murmur  arose. 
"Oh,  how  beautiful  she  is!"  The  King  even,  old 
as  he  was,  could  not  take  his  eyes  off  her,  and 
he  whispered  to  the  Queen  that  it  was  long  since 
he  had  seen  such  a  handsome  and  amiable  person. 

All  the  ladies  were  anxious  to  examine  her 
head-dress  and  robes,  and  they  decided  to  have 
some  made  like  them  the  very  next  morning, 
provided,  of  course,  that  they  could  procure 
beautiful  enough  materials  and  needlewomen 
sufficiently  skilful. 

The  King's  son  led  Cinderella  to  the  place  of 
honour,  and  asked  her  to  dance  with  him.  She 
danced  with  such  grace  that  she  was  more  ad- 
mired than  ever.  A  superb  banquet  was  served, 
but  the  young  Prince  did  not  taste  it,  so  much 
was  he  occupied  in  gazing  at  her.  She  seated 
herself  by  her  sisters,  and  showed  them  a  thou- 
sand attentions.  She  offered  them  a  share  of  the 
oranges  and  lemons  that  the  Prince  had  given 


CINDERELLA  227 

her,  which  greatly  surprised  them,  for  they  did 
not  know  her. 

While  they  were  chatting,  Cinderella  heard 
the  clock  strike  a  quarter  before  twelve.  She 
immediately  bowed  to  the  company,  and  has- 
tened away  as  fast  as  she  could. 

When  she  arrived  at  home,  she  found  her 
Fairy  Godmother,  and  having  thanked  her,  told 
her  how  she  longed  to  go  again  the  next  night, 
for  the  Prince  had  invited  her.  And  while  she 
was  relating  all  the  things  that  had  happened  at 
the  ball,  she  heard  the  two  sisters  rap  at  the 
door. 

Cinderella  opened  it.  "How  late  you  are," 
she  said. 

"If  you  had  been  at  the  ball,"  replied  one  of 
the  sisters,  "you  would  not  think  it  late!  There 
came  the  most  beautiful  Princess  you  have  ever 
dreamed  of.  She  was  devoted  to  us,  and  gave  us 
oranges  and  lemons." 

Cinderella  could  scarcely  contain  herself  for 
joy.   She  asked  the  name  of  the  Princess. 

"We  do  not  know,"  they  said.  "Even  the 
King's  son  is  curious  to  learn  who  she  is." 

Cinderella  smiled  and  said  to  the  elder  sister: 
"Was  she  so  beautiful  then!  How  happy  you 
are!" 

The  next  night  the  sisters  went  to  the  ball. 
Cinderella  went,  too,  even  more  magnificently 


228    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

attired  than  the  first  time.  The  King's  son  was 
constantly  by  her  side,  and  never  ceased  whis- 
pering sweet  things.  Cinderella  was  not  at  all 
weary,  and  she  forgot  what  her  Godmother  had 
told  her;  so  that  when  she  heard  the  first  stroke 
of  midnight,  she  could  not  believe  that  it  was 
more  than  eleven  o'clock. 

She  sprang  up,  and  fled  as  swiftly  as  a  deer. 
The  Prince  followed  her,  but  could  not  catch 
her.  She  lost  one  of  her  glass  slippers,  which  he 
tenderly  picked  up. 

Cinderella  reached  home  breathless,  without 
coach  or  footmen,  and  clad  in  rags.  Nothing  re- 
mained of  all  her  splendour  but  one  little  glass 
slipper,  for  she  had  dropped  the  other. 

The  Prince's  attendants  asked  the  palace 
guards  if  they  had  seen  a  Princess  pass  by.  They 
said  that  they  had  seen  no  one  except  a  poorly 
dressed  girl,  who  looked  more  like  a  peasant  than 
a  Princess. 

When  her  sisters  returned,  Cinderella  asked 
if  they  had  had  a  good  time  again,  and  if  the 
lovely  Princess  had  been  present.  They  said  yes, 
but  that  she  had  fled  as  soon  as  twelve  o'clock 
had  sounded,  and  that  she  had  dropped  one  of 
her  little  glass  slippers  —  it  was  the  prettiest 
thing !  —  and  that  the  Prince  had  picked  it  up. 
And  that  he  had  done  nothing  but  look  at  it 
for  the  rest  of  the  night!   Assuredly  he  must  be 


CINDERELLA  229 

very  much  in  love  with  the  Princess  to  whom  it 
belonged! 

And  they  were  right.  A  few  days  after  this 
the  King's  son  sent  a  herald  who  announced,  by 
sound  of  a  trumpet,  that  the  Prince  would  marry 
any  lady  whom  the  glass  slipper  fitted. 

Then  commenced  a  great  trying-on  by  Prin- 
cesses and  Duchesses  and  all  the  ladies  of  the 
Court  —  but  it  was  of  no  use.  At  last  they 
brought  the  glass  slipper  to  the  two  sisters,  who 
did  their  best  to  get  their  feet  into  it,  but  they 
could  not  do  so. 

Cinderella,  who  was  looking  on  and  recognized 
her  slipper,  said  smilingly:  "Let  me  see  if  it  will 
fit  me."' 

Her  sisters  began  to  laugh  scornfully  and  to 
ridicule  her;  but  the  attendant  who  held  the 
slipper,  looking  attentively  at  Cinderella,  saw 
that  she  was  very  beautiful,  and  said  that  she 
had  a  right  to  do  so,  for  he  had  been  ordered  to 
try  the  slipper  on  every  girl  in  the  Kingdom. 

He  made  Cinderella  seat  herself,  and,  placing 
the  slipper  on  her  little  foot,  saw  that  it  went  on 
easily  and  fitted  her  like  wax.  The  amazement 
of  the  sisters  was  great,  but  was  greater  still 
when  Cinderella  drew  the  other  slipper  from  her 
pocket  and  put  it  on  her  other  foot. 

Immediately  the  Fairy  Godmother  arrived, 
and,  having  touched  Cinderella's  clothes  with 


230    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

her  wand,   changed  them  into  garments  more 
magnificent  than  those  she  had  worn  before. 

Then  the  two  sisters  recognized  her  for  the 
beautiful  Princess  whom  they  had  seen  at  the 
ball.  They  threw  themselves  at  her  feet,  and 
begged  forgiveness  for  the  cruel  treatment  she 
had  suffered.  Cinderella  raised  and  embraced 
them,  and  assured  them  that  she  pardoned  them 
with  all  her  heart,  and  that  she  now  entreated 
them  to  love  her  dearly. 

She  was  then  conducted  to  the  palace  of  the 
Prince,  adorned  as  she  was  in  all  her  magnifi- 
cence. The  Prince  found  her  more  beautiful 
than  ever,  and  a  few  days  after  he  married  her 
with  great  pomp. 

Cinderella,  who  was  as  good  as  she  was  beau- 
tiful, lodged  her  sisters  in  the  palace,  and  mar- 
ried them  on  the  same  day  to  two  great  lords  of 
the  Court. 

Charles  Perrault 


THE  SLEEPING  BEAUTY  IN  THE 
WOOD 

Once  upon  a  time  there  lived  a  King  and  Queen 
who  were  most  miserable  because  they  had  no 
children;  but  when  a  lovely  baby  girl  was  born 
to  them,  they  were  two  of  the  happiest  people 
in  the  world.  And  in  order  to  make  all  things  as 
propitious  as  possible  for  the  little  Princess,  they 
invited  seven  Fairies  who  lived  in  the  Kingdom, 
to  be  her  Godmothers. 

When  the  christening  ceremony  was  over, 
there  was  a  magnificent  banquet  given  for  the 
Fairies.  Before  each  of  them  was  laid  a  plate  of 
massive  gold,  and  a  case  —  also  of  massive  gold 
—  containing  a  spoon,  a  fork,  and  a  knife,  all 
of  the  same  precious  metal,  and  richly  studded 
with  diamonds  and  rubies. 

But  just  as  everybody  was  seated  at  the  table, 
who  should  enter  but  an  old  Fairy,  who  had  not 
been  invited  because  for  more  than  fifty  years 
she  had  been  shut  up  in  a  tower,  and  was  sup- 
posed to  be  either  dead  or  enchanted. 

The  King  immediately  commanded  that  a 
chair  should  be  placed  for  her  at  the  table,  but 
he  could  not  offer  her  a  golden  plate  and  case, 
for  only  seven  had  been  made  for  the  seven  Fair- 


232    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

ies.  The  unreasonable  old  creature  considered 
herself  insulted,  and  began  to  mutter  frightful 
threats  between  her  teeth.  The  youngest  of  the 
Fairies,  hearing  this,  concealed  herself  behind 
the  tapestry,  in  order  to  be  the  last  to  speak,  and 
so  perhaps  prevent  any  harm  being  done  to  the 
little  Princess. 

Meanwhile  the  Godmothers  began  to  bestow 
their  gifts. 

One  said:  "My  Godchild  shall  be  the  most 
beautiful  girl  in  the  whole  world."  The  second 
added:  "And  she  shall  have  the  disposition  of  an 
angel."  The  third  said:  "I  give  her  the  gift  of 
perfect  grace  and  graciousness."  The  fourth 
added:  "And  she  shall  dance  like  a  sylph."  The 
fifth  said:  "She  shall  sing  like  a  nightingale." 
The  sixth  added:  "She  shall  excel  in  playing  on 
every  sort  of  musical  instrument." 

Then  came  the  turn  of  the  old  Fairy,  who 
screamed  like  a  cockatoo,  while  her  head  shook 
more  from  rage  than  from  age:  "The  Princess 
shall  pierce  her  hand  with  a  spindle,  and  shall 
die!" 

These  dreadful  words  made  the  whole  company 
—  every  one  —  shudder;  and  there  was  no  one 
there  who  was  not  drowned  in  tears.  At  that 
moment  the  youngest  Fairy  appeared  from  be- 
hind the  tapestry,  and  said  sweetly :  — 

"Do  not  weep,  Your  Majesties,  your  daughter 


SLEEPING  BEAUTY  IN  THE  WOOD    233 

will  not  die.  It  is  true  that  I  have  not  power 
enough  to  entirely  undo  the  evil  that  my  elder 
sister  has  done.  The  Princess  will  hurt  her  hand 
with  a  spindle,  but,  instead  of  dying,  she  will  fall 
asleep  for  a  hundred  years,  and  then  a  royal 
Prince  will  come  and  waken  her." 

The  King,  hoping  to  prevent  this  calamity, 
forbade  any  person  in  the  Kingdom  either  to 
spin  or  even  to  keep  a  spindle  in  the  house.  Any 
one  who  disobeyed  was  to  be  punished  with 
death. 

Sixteen  years  after  this,  the  King  and  Queen 
went  with  their  Court  to  a  castle  in  the  country, 
when  it  happened  that  the  young  Princess,  wan- 
dering curiously  from  room  to  room,  mounted  to 
the  top  of  a  tower.  There  she  found  an  old  woman 
sitting  alone  before  her  wheel.  This  old  woman 
had  never  heard  that  the  King  had  forbidden 
any  one  to  spin. 

"What  are  you  doing,  my  good  mother?" 
asked  the  Princess. 

"I  am  spinning,  my  beautiful  child,"  answered 
the  old  woman. 

"Oh,  how  pretty  it  is!"  exclaimed  the  Prin- 
cess. "How  do  you  do  it?  Give  that  to  me,  so  I 
may  see  if  I  can  do  as  well ! " 

And  as  she  spoke,  she  took  the  spindle  so 
eagerly  and  so  quickly,  that  it  pierced  her  hand, 
and  she  sank  fainting  to  the  floor.   The  poor  old 


234    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

woman,  in  the  greatest  distress,  cried  for  help. 
People  came  hurrying  from  all  sides.  They 
dashed  water  on  the  Princess.  They  unlaced  her 
robes.  They  bathed  her  temples  with  perfumes. 
But  she  did  not  move.  Then  the  King,  who, 
hearing  the  commotion,  was  come  into  the  tower- 
room,  remembered  the  malediction  of  the  old 
Fairy.  He  perceived  that  the  misfortune  was  a 
thing  that  had  to  come  about,  since  the  Fairies 
had  foretold  it. 

He  caused  the  Princess  to  be  carried  to  the  most 
splendid  apartment  in  the  castle,  and  to  be  laid 
on  a  couch  of  down  and  on  pillows  of  down  em- 
broidered with  gold  and  silver.  Her  eyes  were 
closed,  but  her  soft  breathing  showed  that  she 
was  not  dead.  Then,  too,  her  cheeks  were  flushed 
a  delicate  rose-colour,  and  her  lips  were  like 
coral.  She  seemed  a  sleeping  angel,  she  was  so 
beautiful. 

The  kind  Fairy,  who  had  saved  the  Princess's 
life,  was  in  the  Kingdom  of  Mataquin,  twelve 
thousand  miles  away,  but  the  King  instantly 
sent  word  of  the  misfortune,  by  a  little  dwarf, 
who  travelled  in  seven-league  boots  —  which  are 
boots  that  pass  over  seven  leagues  at  each  step  — 
and  she  arrived  directly  at  the  castle,  in  a  chariot 
of  fire  drawn  by  dragons. 

She  approved  of  all  that  the  King  had  done. 
But  being  exceedingly  wise,  she  knew  that  the 


SLEEPING  BEAUTY  IN  THE  WOOD    235 

poor  Princess  would  be  in  a  pitiable  condition 
when  at  the  end  of  a  hundred  years  she  awoke 
to  find  herself  alone  in  that  old  castle.  She 
knew  of  but  one  thing  to  do,  and  she  did  it.  At 
a  wave  of  her  wand  every  one  fell  asleep  —  ladies 
of  honour,  waiting-maids,  squires,  pages,  stew- 
ards, cooks,  scullions,  porters,  footmen,  —  every 
breathing  thing,  even  the  horses  in  the  stables 
with  the  grooms,  the  mastiffs  in  the  courtyard, 
and  little  Pouffi,  the  Princess's  lap  dog,  who  was 
nestling  beside  her  on  the  couch  —  all  slept.  The 
spits  full  of  partridges  over  the  fire,  and  even  the 
fire  itself,  waited  silently  to  serve  their  mistress 
when  she  should  wake  and  need  them. 

Only  the  King  and  Queen  were  left  to  kiss  their 
darling  child,  and  go  away  from  the  castle.  The 
King  forbade  any  one  to  approach  the  place,  but 
this  command  was  not  necessary,  for  within  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  there  was  grown  up  around 
the  castle  park,  such  a  vast  wood,  whose  trees, 
great  and  small,  were  so  interlaced  with  briars 
and  thorns,  that  neither  man  nor  beast  could 
pass  through.  It  was  plain  that  the  Fairy  had 
arranged  matters  after  Fairy  fashion,  taking 
care  that  the  young  Princess  should  not  be  dis- 
turbed while  she  slept. 

When  the  hundred  years  were  gone,  a  King, 
not  of  the  family  of  the  Princess,  reigned  over 
the  land.  One  day  his  son  was  hunting  near  the 


236    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

Fairy  wood,  and  asked  what  were  those  turrets 
he  saw  rising  above  the  trees.  People  told  him 
everything  that  they  had  heard.  One  said  that 
it  was  an  enchanted  castle.  Another  said  that 
all  the  witches  in  the  country  held  their  revels 
there.  The  most  common  belief,  however,  seemed 
to  be  that  it  was  the  dwelling-place  of  an  ogre, 
who  carried  off  all  the  children  he  could  catch, 
and  devoured  them  at  his  leisure;  for  no  one 
could  follow  him,  as  only  he  could  pass  through 
the  wood. 

While  the  Prince  was  lost  in  wonder  at  these 
tales,  an  old  peasant  approached  him,  and  said: 
"Your  Highness,  more  than  fifty  years  ago  I 
heard  my  father  say  that  in  yonder  castle  was 
the  most  beautiful  Princess  on  earth,  and  that  she 
would  sleep  a  hundred  years  and  then  be  wak- 
ened by  the  son  of  a  King,  and  that  she  would 
marry  him." 

That  was  enough  to  set  the  Prince  on  fire  for 
the  adventure.  In  fact,  he  felt  in  his  heart  that 
he  was  the  chosen  one.  He  did  not  delay  for  an 
instant.  No  sooner  had  he  taken  a  step  toward 
the  wood  than  the  trees  great  and  small,  and  the 
thorns  and  briars,  disentangled  themselves  and 
opened  a  path. 

He  walked  toward  the  castle  which  stood  at 
the  end  of  a  broad  avenue.  He  saw,  with  sur- 
prise, that  none  of  his  attendants  had  been  able 


SLEEPING  BEAUTY  IN  THE  WOOD    237 

to  follow  him,  for  the  wood  had  closed  again 
behind  him;  but  all  the  same  he  went  on  boldly. 

He  entered  a  spacious  outer  court,  where  a 
person  less  brave  than  he  would  have  been  para- 
lyzed by  fear.  A  deathlike  silence  reigned,  and  many 
dead  men  lay  stretched  upon  the  ground.  But  the 
Prince  saw,  at  a  second  glance,  that  the  men  had 
only  the  appearance  of  being  dead,  that,  indeed, 
they  were  really  men-at-arms,  who  had  fallen  asleep 
with  their  half-emptied  wine-glasses  beside  them. 

He  ascended  the  stairway.  He  entered  an  ante- 
chamber, where  the  guard,  ranged  in  line,  with 
their  muskets  on  their  shoulders,  were  snoring 
contentedly.  He  crossed  a  presence-chamber 
where  many  lords  and  ladies  were  sleeping,  some 
standing  and  some  sitting. 

Then  he  found  himself  in  a  magnificent  apart- 
ment where  on  a  couch,  whose  curtains  were  lifted, 
slept  a  young  Princess  as  lovely  as  if  she  had 
strayed  from  Paradise! 

The  Prince  knelt  beside  her,  and  pressed  his 
lips  on  her  white  hand  that  lay  on  the  coverlet. 
The  spell  was  broken!  The  Princess  opened  her 
eyes,  and,  looking  at  the  Prince  as  if  he  was  no 
stranger,  said:  — 

"Is  it  you,  my  Prince!  I  know  you,  for  the 
Fairy  has  sent  me  such  happy  dreams  in  order 
that  I  might  know  the  one  who  should  free  me 
from  enchantment." 


238    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

Then  they  talked  together.  Each  had  so  much 
to  say.  The  Prince  forgot  the  flight  of  time,  and 
the  Princess  certainly  did,  it  was  so  long  since 
she  had  talked  with  any  one. 

Meanwhile  the  whole  castle  had  awakened  when 
the  Princess  did;  and  all  the  people  had  returned 
to  their  regular  duties.  They  were  naturally  half- 
starved.   Dinner  was  prepared. 

Then  the  maid  of  honour,  who  was  as  hungry 
as  the  others,  and  who  really  had  difficulty  to 
keep  her  voice  from  being  as  sharp  as  her  appe- 
tite, went  to  the  Princess's  apartment,  and  said 
in  a  gentle  tone:  "Pardon,  Your  Highness,  but 
dinner  is  served." 

The  Princess  was  superbly  dressed,  and  the 
Prince  was  careful  not  to  say  that  her  robe  was 
like  that  of  his  great-grandmother.  He  did  not 
find  her  any  the  less  beautiful  for  all  that.  They 
dined  in  the  Hall  of  Mirrors,  and  were  served  by 
the  pages  and  ladies-in-waiting  of  the  Princess. 
The  violins  and  hautboys  played  delightfully 
considering  that  they  had  lain  untouched  for 
a  hundred  years.  After  dinner,  the  Prince  and 
Princess  were  married  in  the  chapel  of  the  cas- 
tle. And  on  the  death  of  the  Prince's  father,  which 
occurred  soon  after  the  marriage,  the  Prince  and 
Princess  reigned  happily  over  all  that  land. 

Charles  Perrault 


PRINCE  CHERI 

Long  ago  there  lived  a  monarch,  who  was  such  a 
very  honest  man  that  his  subjects  entitled  him 
"the  Good  King."  One  day  when  he  was  out 
hunting,  a  little  white  rabbit,  which  had  been 
half  killed  by  his  hounds,  leaped  right  into  His 
Majesty's  arms.  Said  he,  caressing  it,  "This 
poor  creature  has  put  itself  under  my  protection, 
and  I  will  allow  no  one  to  injure  it."  So  he  car- 
ried it  to  his  palace,  had  prepared  for  it  a  neat 
little  rabbit-hutch,  with  abundance  of  the  dain- 
tiest food,  such  as  rabbits  love,  and  there  he 
left  it. 

The  same  night,  when  he  was  alone  in  his 
chamber,  there  appeared  to  him  a  beautiful  lady. 
She  was  dressed  neither  in  gold  nor  silver  nor 
brocade;  but  her  flowing  robes  were  white  as  snow, 
and  she  wore  a  garland  of  white  roses  on  her 
head.  The  Good  King  was  greatly  astonished  at 
the  sight,  for  his  door  was  locked,  and  he  won- 
dered how  so  dazzling  a  lady  could  possibly  en- 
ter; but  she  soon  removed  his  doubts. 

"I  am  the  Fairy  Candide,"  said  she,  with  a 
smiling  and  gracious  air.  "Passing  through  the 
wood,  where  you  were  hunting,  I  took  a  desire 
to  know  if  you  were  as  good  as  men  say  you  are. 


240    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

I  therefore  changed  myself  into  a  white  rabbit, 
and  sought  refuge  in  your  arms.  You  saved  me; 
and  now  I  know  that  those  who  are  merciful  to 
dumb  beasts  will  be  ten  times  more  so  to  human 
beings.  You  merit  the  name  your  subjects  give 
you:  you  are  the  Good  King.  I  thank  you  for 
your  protection,  and  shall  be  always  one  of  your 
best  friends.  You  have  but  to  say  what  you  most 
desire,  and  I  promise  you  your  wish  shall  be 
granted." 

"Madam,"  replied  the  King,  "if  you  are  a 
Fairy,  you  must  know,  without  my  telling  you, 
the  wish  of  my  heart.  I  have  one  well-beloved 
son,  Prince  Cheri:  whatever  kindly  feeling  you 
have  toward  me,  extend  it  to  him." 

"Willingly,"  said  Candide.  "I  will  make  him 
the  handsomest,  richest,  or  most  powerful  Prince 
in  the  world.  Choose  whichever  you  desire  for 
him." 

"None  of  the  three,"  returned  the  father.  "I 
only  wish  him  to  be  good  —  the  best  Prince  in 
the  world.  Of  what  use  would  riches,  power,  or 
beauty  be  to  him  if  he  were  a  bad  man?" 

"You  are  right,"  said  the  Fairy;  "but  I  can- 
not make  him  good :  he  must  do  that  himself.  I 
can  only  change  his  external  fortunes.  For  his 
personal  character,  the  utmost  I  can  promise  is 
to  give  good  counsel,  reprove  him  for  his  faults, 
and  even  punish  him,  if  he  will  not  punish  him- 


PRINCE  CHfiRI  241 

self.  You  mortals  can  do  the  same  with  your 
children." 

"Ah,  yes!"  said  the  King,  sighing. 

Still,  he  felt  that  the  kindness  of  a  Fairy  was 
something  gained  for  his  son,  and  died  not  long 
after,  content  and  at  peace. 

Prince  Cheri  mourned  deeply,  for  he  dearly 
loved  his  father,  and  would  have  gladly  given  all 
his  kingdoms  and  treasures  to  keep  him  in  life  a 
little  longer. 

Two  days  after  the  Good  King  was  no  more, 
Prince  Cheri  was  sleeping  in  his  chamber,  when 
he  saw  the  same  dazzling  vision  of  the  Fairy  Can- 
dide. 

"I  promised  your  father,"  said  she,  "to  be 
your  best  friend,  and  in  pledge  of  this  take  what 
I  now  give  you."  And  she  placed  a  small  gold 
ring  upon  his  finger.  "Poor  as  it  looks,  it  is  more 
precious  than  diamonds;  for  whenever  you  do  ill 
it  will  prick  your  finger.  If  after  that  warning 
you  still  continue  in  evil,  you  will  lose  my  friend- 
ship, and  I  shall  become  your  direst  enemy." 

So  saying  she  disappeared,  leaving  Cheri  in 
such  amazement  that  he  would  have  believed  it 
all  a  dream,  save  for  the  ring  on  his  finger. 

He  was  for  a  long  time  so  good  that  the  ring 
never  pricked  him  at  all;  and  this  made  him  so 
cheerful  and  pleasant  in  his  humour  that  every- 
body called  him  "Happy  Prince  Cheri."    But 


242    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

one  unlucky  day  he  was  out  hunting  and  found 
no  sport,  which  vexed  him  so  much  that  he  showed 
his  ill-temper  by  his  looks  and  ways.  He  fancied 
his  ring  felt  very  tight  and  uncomfortable,  but 
as  it  did  not  prick  him,  he  took  no  heed  of  this; 
until,  reentering  his  palace,  his  little  pet  dog, 
Bibi,  jumped  up  upon  him,  and  was  sharply  told 
to  get  away.  The  creature,  accustomed  to  noth- 
ing but  caresses,  tried  to  attract  his  attention 
by  pulling  at  his  garments,  when  Prince  Cheri 
turned  and  gave  it  a  severe  kick.  At  this  mo- 
ment he  felt  in  his  finger  a  prick  like  a  pin. 

"What  nonsense!"  said  he  to  himself.  "The 
Fairy  must  be  making  game  of  me.  Why,  what 
great  evil  have  I  done?  I,  the  master  of  a  great 
empire,  cannot  I  kick  my  own  dog?" 

A  voice  replied,  or  else  Prince  Cheri  imagined  it : 
"No,  sire;  the  master  of  a  great  empire  has  a  right 
to  do  good,  but  not  evil.  I  —  a  Fairy  —  am  as 
much  above  you  as  you  are  above  your  dog.  I 
might  punish  you,  kill  you,  if  I  chose;  but  I  pre- 
fer leaving  you  to  amend  your  ways.  You  have 
been  guilty  of  three  faults  to-day  —  bad  temper, 
passion,  cruelty.  Do  better  to-morrow." 

The  Prince  promised,  and  kept  his  word  awhile; 
but  he  had  been  brought  up  by  a  foolish  nurse, 
who  indulged  him  in  every  way,  and  was  always 
telling  him  that  he  would  be  a  King  one  day, 
when  he  might  do  as  he  liked  in  all  things.   He 


PRINCE  CHfiRI  243 

found  out  now  that  even  a  King  cannot  always 
do  that;  it  vexed  him,  and  made  him  angry. 
His  ring  began  to  prick  him  so  often  that  his  lit- 
tle finger  was  continually  bleeding.  He  disliked 
this,  as  was  natural,  and  soon  began  to  consider 
whether  it  would  not  be  easier  to  throw  the  ring 
away  altogether  than  to  be  constantly  annoyed 
by  it.  It  was  such  a  queer  thing  for  a  King  to 
have  always  a  spot  of  blood  on  his  finger! 

At  last,  unable  to  put  up  with  it  any  more,  he 
took  his  ring  off,  and  hid  it  where  he  would  never 
see  it;  and  believed  himself  the  happiest  of  men, 
for  he  could  now  do  exactly  what  he  liked.  He 
did  it,  and  became  every  day  more  and  more 
miserable. 

One  day  he  saw  a  young  girl,  so  beautiful  that, 
being  always  accustomed  to  have  his  own  way, 
he  immediately  determined  to  marry  her.  He 
never  doubted  that  she  would  be  only  too  glad 
to  be  made  a  Queen,  for  she  was  very  poor.  But 
Zelia  —  that  was  her  name  —  answered,  to  his 
great  astonishment,  that  she  would  rather  not 
marry  him. 

"Do  I  displease  you?"  asked  the  Prince,  into 
whose  mind  it  had  never  entered  that  he  could 
displease  anybody. 

"Not  at  all,  my  Prince,"  said  the  honest  peas- 
ant-maiden. "You  are  very  handsome,  very 
charming;  but  you  are  not  like  your  father  the 


244    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

Good  King.  I  will  not  be  your  Queen,  for  you 
would  make  me  miserable." 

At  these  words  the  Prince's  love  seemed  all 
to  turn  to  hatred.  He  gave  orders  to  his  guards 
to  convey  Zelia  to  a  prison  near  the  palace,  and 
then  took  counsel  with  his  foster-brother,  the  one 
of  all  his  ill  companions  who  most  incited  him 
to  do  wrong. 

"Sir,"  said  this  man,  "if  I  were  in  Your 
Majesty's  place,  I  would  never  vex  myself  about 
a  poor  silly  girl.  Feed  her  on  bread  and  water  till 
she  comes  to  her  senses;  and  if  she  still  refuses 
you,  let  her  die  in  torment,  as  a  warning  to  your 
other  subjects  should  they  venture  to  dispute 
your  will.  You  will  be  disgraced  should  you  suf- 
fer yourself  to  be  conquered  by  a  simple  girl." 

"But,"  said  Prince  Cheri,  "shall  I  not  be  dis- 
graced if  I  harm  a  creature  so  perfectly  inno- 
cent?" 

"No  one  is  innocent  who  disputes  Your 
Majesty's  authority,"  said  the  courtier,  bowing; 
"and  it  is  better  to  commit  an  injustice  than 
allow  it  to  be  supposed  you  can  ever  be  contra- 
dicted with  impunity." 

This  touched  Cheri  on  his  weak  point  —  his 
good  impulses  faded.  He  resolved  once  more  to 
ask  Zelia  if  she  would  marry  him,  and,  if  she 
again  refused,  to  sell  her  as  a  slave.  Arrived  at 
the  cell  in  which  she  was  confined,  what  was  his 


PRINCE  CHERI  245 

astonishment  to  find  her  gone!  He  knew  not 
whom  to  accuse,  for  he  had  kept  the  key  in  his 
pocket  the  whole  time.  At  last,  the  foster-brother 
suggested  that  the  escape  of  Zelia  might  have 
been  contrived  by  an  old  man,  Suliman  by  name, 
the  Prince's  former  tutor,  who  was  the  only  one 
who  now  ventured  to  blame  him  for  anything 
that  he  did.  Cheri  sent  immediately,  and  ordered 
his  old  friend  to  be  brought  to  him,  loaded  heav- 
ily with  irons. 

Then,  full  of  fury,  he  went  and  shut  himself 
up  in  his  own  chamber,  where  he  went  raging  to 
and  fro,  till  startled  by  a  noise  like  a  clap  of 
thunder.   The  Fairy  Candide  stood  before  him. 

"Prince,"  said  she,  in  a  severe  voice,  "I  prom- 
ised your  father  to  give  you  good  counsels,  and 
to  punish  you  if  you  refused  to  follow  them.  My 
counsels  were  forgotten,  my  punishments  de- 
spised. Under  the  figure  of  a  man,  you  have  been 
no  better  than  the  beasts  you  chase:  like  a  lion 
in  fury,  a  wolf  in  gluttony,  a  serpent  in  revenge, 
and  a  bull  in  brutality.  Take,  therefore,  in  your 
new  form  the  likeness  of  all  these  animals." 

Scarcely  had  Prince  Cheri  heard  these  words, 
than  to  his  horror  he  found  himself  transformed 
into  what  the  Fairy  had  named.  He  was  a  crea- 
ture with  the  head  of  a  lion,  the  horns  of  a  bull, 
the  feet  of  a  wolf,  and  the  tail  of  a  serpent.  At 
the  same*  time  he  felt  himself  transported  to  a 


246    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

distant  forest,  where,  standing  on  the  bank  of 
a  stream,  he  saw  reflected  in  the  water  his  own 
frightful  shape,  and  heard  a  voice  saying:  — 

"Look  at  thyself,  and  know  thy  soul  has  be- 
come a  thousand  times  uglier  even  than  thy 
body." 

Cheri  recognized  the  voice  of  Candide,  and  in 
his  rage  would  have  sprung  upon  her  and  de- 
voured her;  but  he  saw  nothing,  and  the  same 
voice  said  behind  him :  — 

"Cease  thy  feeble  fury,  and  learn  to  conquer 
thy  pride  by  being  in  submission  to  thine  own 
subjects." 

Hearing  no  more,  he  soon  quitted  the  stream, 
hoping  at  least  to  get  rid  of  the  sight  of  himself; 
but  he  had  scarcely  gone  twenty  paces  when  he 
tumbled  into  a  pitfall  that  was  laid  to  catch 
bears.  The  bear-hunters,  descending  from  some 
trees  hard  by,  caught  him,  chained  him,  and 
only  too  delighted  to  get  hold  of  such  a  curious- 
looking  animal,  led  him  along  with  them  to  the 
capital  of  his  own  Kingdom. 

There  great  rejoicings  were  taking  place,  and 
the  bear-hunters,  asking  what  it  was  all  about, 
were  told  that  it  was  because  Prince  Cheri,  the 
torment  of  his  subjects,  had  been  struck  dead 
by  a  thunderbolt  —  just  punishment  of  all  his 
crimes.  Four  courtiers,  his  wicked  companions, 
had  wished  to  divide  his  throne  among  them; 


PRINCE  CHERI  247 

but  the  people  had  risen  up  against  them,  and 
offered  the  crown  to  Suliman,  the  old  tutor  whom 
Chen  had  ordered  to  be  arrested. 

All  this  the  poor  monster  heard.  He  even  saw 
Suliman  sitting  upon  his  own  throne,  and  trying 
to  calm  the  populace  by  representing  to  them 
that  it  was  not  certain  Prince  Cheri  was  dead; 
that  he  might  return  one  day  to  reassume  with 
honour  the  crown  which  Suliman  only  consented 
to  wear  as  a  sort  of  viceroy. 

"I  know  his  heart,"  said  the  honest  and  faith- 
ful old  man;  "it  is  tainted,  but  not  corrupt.  If 
alive,  he  may  reform  yet,  and  be  all  his  father 
over  again  to  you,  his  people,  whom  he  has 
caused  to  suffer  so  much." 

These  words  touched  the  poor  beast  so  deeply 
that  he  ceased  to  beat  himself  against  the  iron 
bars  of  the  cage  in  which  the  hunters  carried  him 
about,  became  gentle  as  a  lamb,  and  suffered 
himself  to  be  taken  quietly  to  a  menagerie,  where 
were  kept  all  sorts  of  strange  and  ferocious  ani- 
mals —  a  place  which  he  had  himself  often 
visited  as  a  boy,  but  never  thought  he  should 
be  shut  up  there  himself. 

However,  he  owned  he  had  deserved  it  all,  and 
began  to  make  amends  by  showing  himself  very 
obedient  to  his  keeper.  This  man  was  almost  as 
great  a  brute  as  the  animals  he  had  charge  of, 
and  when  he  was  in  ill-humour  he  used  to  beat 


248    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

them  without  rhyme  or  reason.  One  day,  while 
he  was  sleeping,  a  tiger  broke  loose  and  leaped 
upon  him,  eager  to  devour  him.  Cheri  at  first 
felt  a  thrill  of  pleasure  at  the  thought  of  being 
revenged;  then,  seeing  how  helpless  the  man  was, 
he  wished  himself  free,  that  he  might  defend  him. 
Immediately  the  doors  of  his  cage  opened. 

The  keeper,  waking  up,  saw  the  strange  beast 
leap  out,  and  imagined,  of  course,  that  he  was 
going  to  be  slain  at  once.  Instead,  he  saw  the 
tiger  lying  dead,  and  the  strange  beast  creeping 
up  and  laying  itself  at  his  feet  to  be  caressed.  But 
as  he  lifted  up  his  hand  to  stroke  it,  a  voice 
was  heard  saying,  "Good  actions  never  go  unre- 
warded." And,  instead  of  the  frightful  monster, 
there  crouched  on  the  ground  nothing  but  a  pretty 
little  dog. 

Cheri,  delighted  to  find  himself  thus  trans- 
formed, caressed  the  keeper  in  every  possible 
way,  till  at  last  the  man  took  him  up  into  his 
arms  and  carried  him  to  the  King,  to  whom  he 
related  this  wonderful  story  from  beginning  to 
end.  The  Queen  wished  to  have  the  charming 
little  dog;  and  Cheri  would  have  been  exceedingly 
happy,  could  he  have  forgotten  that  he  was 
originally  a  man  and  a  King.  He  was  lodged 
most  elegantly,  had  the  richest  of  collars  to  adorn 
his  neck,  and  heard  himself  praised  continually. 
But  his  beauty  rather  brought  him  into  trouble, 


PRINCE  CHERI  249 

for  the  Queen,  afraid  lest  he  might  grow  too 
large  for  a  pet,  took  advice  of  dog-doctors,  who 
ordered  that  he  should  be  fed  entirely  upon  bread, 
and  that  very  sparingly;  so  poor  Cheri  was  some- 
times nearly  starved. 

One  day,  when  they  gave  him  his  crust  for 
breakfast,  a  fancy  seized  him  to  go  and  eat  it  in  the 
palace-garden;  so  he  took  the  bread  in  his  mouth, 
and  trotted  away  toward  a  stream  which  he 
knew,  and  where  he  sometimes  stopped  to  drink. 
But  instead  of  the  stream  he  saw  a  splendid  pal- 
ace, glittering  with  gold  and  precious  stones. 
Entering  the  doors  was  a  crowd  of  men  and 
women,  magnificently  dressed;  and  within  there 
was  singing  and  dancing,  and  good  cheer  of  all 
sorts.  Yet,  however  grandly  and  gaily  the  people 
went  in,  Cheri  noticed  that  those  who  came  out 
were  pale,  thin,  ragged,  half-naked,  covered  with 
wounds  and  sores.  Some  of  them  dropped  dead 
at  once;  others  dragged  themselves  on  a  little  way 
and  then  lay  down,  dying  of  hunger,  and  vainly 
begged  a  morsel  of  bread  from  others  who  were 
entering  in  —  who  never  took  the  least  notice  of 
them. 

Cheri  perceived  one  woman,  who  was  trying 
feebly  to  gather  and  eat  some  green  herbs.  "Poor 
thing!"  said  he  to  himself;  "I  know  what  it  is 
to  be  hungry,  and  I  want  my  breakfast  badly 
enough;  but  still  it  will  not  kill  me  to  wait  till 


250    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

dinner-time,  and  my  crust  may  save  the  life  of 
this  poor  woman." 

So  the  little  dog  ran  up  to  her,  and  dropped  his 
bread  at  her  feet;  she  picked  it  up,  and  ate  it  with 
avidity.  Soon  she  looked  quite  recovered,  and 
Cheri,  delighted,  was  trotting  back  again  to  his 
kennel,  when  he  heard  loud  cries,  and  saw  a  young 
girl  dragged  by  four  men  to  the  door  of  the  palace, 
which  they  were  trying  to  compel  her  to  enter. 
Oh,  how  he  wished  himself  a  monster  again,  as 
when  he  slew  the  tiger!  For  the  young  girl  was 
no  other  than  his  beloved  Zelia.  Alas!  what  could 
a  poor  little  dog  do  to  defend  her?  But  he  ran 
forward  and  barked  at  the  men  and  bit  their 
heels,  until  at  last  they  chased  him  away  with 
heavy  blows.  And  then  he  lay  down  outside  the 
palace-door,  determined  to  watch  and  see  what 
had  become  of  Zelia. 

Conscience  pricked  him  now.  "What!"  he 
thought,  "I  am  furious  against  these  wicked 
men,  who  are  carrying  her  away;  and  did  I  not 
do  the  same  myself?  Did  I  not  cast  her  into 
prison,  and  intend  to  sell  her  as  a  slave?  Who 
knows  how  much  more  wickedness  I  might  not 
have  done  to  her  and  others,  if  Heaven's  justice 
had  not  stopped  me  in  time?" 

While  he  lay  thinking  and  repenting,  he  heard 
a  window  open,  and  saw  Zelia  throw  out  of  it 
a  bit  of  dainty  meat.     Cheri,  who  felt  hungry 


PRINCE  CHfiRI  251 

enough  by  this  time,  was  just  about  to  eat  it, 
when  the  woman  to  whom  he  had  given  his  crust 
snatched  him  up  in  her  arms. 

"Poor  little  beast!"  cried  she,  patting  him, 
"every  bit  of  food  in  that  palace  is  poisoned; 
you  shall  not  touch  a  morsel." 

And  at  the  same  time  the  voice  in  the  air  re- 
peated again,  "Good  actions  never  go  unre- 
warded." -And  Cheri  found  himself  changed  into 
a  beautiful  little  white  pigeon.  He  remembered 
with  joy  that  white  was  the  colour  of  the  Fairy 
Candide,  and  began  to  hope  that  she  was  taking 
him  into  favour  again. 

So  he  stretched  his  wings,  delighted  that  he 
might  now  have  a  chance  of  approaching  his  fair 
Zelia.  He  flew  up  to  the  palace  windows,  and, 
finding  one  of  them  open,  entered  and  sought 
everywhere,  but  he  could  not  find  Zelia.  Then, 
in  despair,  he  flew  out  again,  resolved  to  go  over 
the  world  until  he  beheld  her  once  more. 

He  took  flight  at  once,  and  traversed  many 
countries,  swiftly  as  a  bird  can,  but  found  no 
trace  of  his  beloved.  At  length  in  a  desert,  sit- 
ting beside  an  old  hermit  in  his  cave  and  partak- 
ing with  him  of  his  frugal  repast,  Cheri  saw  a  poor 
peasant  girl  and  recognized  Zelia.  Transported 
with  joy,  he  flew  in,  perched  on  her  shoulder,  and 
expressed  his  delight  and  affection  by  a  thousand 
caresses. 


252    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

She,  charmed  with  the  pretty  little  pigeon, 
caressed  it  in  her  turn,  and  promised  it  that, 
if  it  would  stay  with  her,  she  would  love  it 
always. 

"What  have  you  done,  Zelia? "  said  the  hermit, 
smiling.  And  while  he  spoke  the  white  pigeon  van- 
ished, and  there  stood  Prince  Cheri  in  his  own 
natural  form.  "  Your  enchantment  ended,  Prince, 
when  Zelia  promised  to  love  you.  Indeed,  she 
has  loved  you  always,  but  your  many  faults  con- 
strained her  to  hide  her  love.  These  are  now 
amended,  and  you  may  both  live  happy  if  you 
will,  because  your  union  is  founded  upon  mutual 
esteem." 

Cheri  and  Zelia  threw  themselves  at  the  feet  of 
the  hermit,  whose  form  also  began  to  change. 
His  soiled  garments  became  of  dazzling  whiteness, 
and  his  long  beard  and  withered  face  grew  into 
the  flowing  hair  and  lovely  countenance  of  Fairy 
Candide. 

"Rise  up,  my  children,"  said  she;  "I  must  now 
transport  you  to  your  palace,  and  restore  to  Prince 
Cheri  his  father's  crown,  of  which  he  is  now 
worthy." 

She  had  scarcely  ceased  speaking  when  they 
found  themselves  in  the  chamber  of  Suliman,  who, 
delighted  to  find  again  his  beloved  pupil  and 
master,  willingly  resigned  the  throne,  and  became 
the  most  faithful  of  his  subjects. 


PRINCE  CHfiRI  253 

King  Cheri  and  Queen  Zelia  reigned  together 
for  many  years,  and  it  is  said  that  the  former  was 
so  blameless  and  strict  in  all  his  duties  that, 
though  he  constantly  wore  the  ring  which  Candide 
had  restored  to  him,  it  never  once  pricked  his 
finger  enough  to  make  it  bleed. 

Madame  Le  Prince  de  Beaumont 
(After  Miss  Mulock) 


TOADS  AND  DIAMONDS 

Once  upon  a  time  there  was  a  widow  who  had 
two  daughters.  The  elder  was  so  exactly  like  her 
mother  in  disposition  and  in  face  that  whoever 
saw  one,  saw  the  other.  They  were  both  so  dis- 
agreeable and  so  proud  that  nobody  could  endure 
them. 

The  younger  was  the  image  of  her  dead  father. 
She  was  sweet  and  kind-hearted,  besides  being 
very  beautiful.  While  her  mother  loved  the  elder 
daughter  to  distraction,  she  hated  the  younger. 
The  poor  child  had  to  eat  in  the  kitchen,  and  work 
day  and  night.  And  twice  every  day  she  had  to 
walk  several  miles  to  a  distant  fountain  to  fetch 
home  a  large  pitcher  of  water. 

One  morning,  while  she  was  resting  beside  the 
fountain,  a  poor  woman  passing  by,  stopped  and 
asked  her  for  a  drink. 

"Yes,  indeed!"  said  the  obliging  young  girl. 
And  immediately  dipping  her  pitcher,  she  filled  it 
where  the  water  was  coldest,  and  held  it  care- 
fully up  so  that  the  woman  might  easily  drink 
from  it. 

When  the  woman  had  finished  drinking,  she 
said:  "You  are  so  beautiful,  so  good,  and  so  kind, 
that  I  must  bestow  a  gift  upon  you.   For  every 


TOADS  AND  DIAMONDS  255 

word  that  you  speak,  there  shall  fall  from  your 
lips1  either  a  flower  or  a  jewel."     ' 

Now  the  woman  was  not  really  a  poor  peasant, 
but  a  Fairy  who  had  taken  that  form  in  order  to 
find  how  kind-hearted  the  young  girl  was.  She 
then  vanished. 

As  soon  as  the  daughter  arrived  at  home,  her 
mother  scolded  her  for  being  absent  so  long. 

"I  beg  your  pardon,  my  mother,  for  being 
gone  such  a  long  time,"  answered  the  girl.  And 
as  she  spoke  there  fell  from  her  lips  three  roses, 
three  lilies,  three  pearls,  and  three  large  dia- 
monds. 

"What  do  I  see!"  exclaimed  her  mother  in 
amazement.  "Where  did  you  get  them,  my 
child?"  It  was  the  first  time  in  her  life  that  she 
had  ever  called  her  "my  child."  "I  do  believe 
those  jewels  came  from  your  mouth!" 

The  poor  girl  told  her  in  a  few  words  what  had 
happened,  and  while  she  was  talking  a  shower  of 
blossoms  and  gems  fell  to  the  ground. 

"Truly!"  exclaimed  the  mother;  "I  must  send 
my  darling  there!  Look!"  called  she  to  the  elder 
daughter;  "see  what  comes  out  of  your  sister's 
mouth.  Would  you  not  be  glad  to  have  the  same 
Fairy  gifts?  You  have  only  to  go  and  draw 
some  water  from  the  fountain,  and  when  a  poor 
woman  asks  for  a  drink  to  give  it  to  her  very 
politely." 


256    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

"It  would  certainly  look  fine  for  me  to  carry  a 
great  pitcher  to  the  fountain!"  answered  the  elder 
daughter  angrily. 

"I  wish  you  to  go  there  at  once,"  said  her 
mother. 

So  the  girl  went,  but  grumbling.  She  took  the 
prettiest  silver  pitcher  that  there  was  in  the 
house;  and  she  was  no  sooner  arrived  at  the  foun- 
tain than  she  saw,  stepping  out  of  the  wood,  a 
magnificent  lady  attired  in  rich  robes.  She  ap- 
proached the  girl  and  asked  her  for  a  drink.  It 
was  the  same  Fairy  who  had  appeared  to  her  sis- 
ter, but  who  had  taken  the  form  of  a  Princess  in 
order  to  find  how  rude  the  girl  would  be. 

"Oh,  indeed!"  answered  the  insolent  girl;  "do 
you  think  that  I  am  come  here  on  purpose  to 
give  you  a  drink?  I  suppose  you  think  that  I 
have  brought  a  silver  pitcher  expressly  to  draw 
water  for  you !  Draw  the  water  yourself,  my  fine 
lady!" 

"You  are  rude,"  replied  the  Fairy  without  be- 
coming in  the  least  angry.  "Since  you  are  so  ut- 
terly disobliging,  I  bestow  on  you  a  gift.  It  is 
this,  for  every  word  that  you  speak,  there  shall  fall 
from  your  mouth  either  a  viper  or  a  toad." 

Then  the  Fairy  vanished. 

When  her  mother  saw  the  girl  returning,  she 
cried  out:  "Well,  my  daughter!" 

"Well,  my  mother!"  snapped  the  hateful  girl, 


TOADS  AND  DIAMONDS  257 

and  as  she  spoke  there  sprang  from  her  mouth 
two  snakes  and  one  toad. 

"What  do  I  see ! "  shrieked  her  mother.  "Your 
sister  is  the  cause  of  this,  and  she  shall  pay  for  it ! " 

And  she  rushed  to  beat  the  poor  child,  who  fled 
into  the  neighbouring  wood.  The  son  of  the  King 
was  returning  from  the  chase,  and  met  her  as  she 
was  running  away.  Seeing  how  beautiful  she  was, 
he  asked  her  why  she  was  there  alone,  and  why 
she  wept. 

"Ah,  sir,"  she  said,  "it  is  because  my  mother 
has  driven  me  from  home." 

The  King's  son,  seeing  five  or  six  pearls  and  as 
many  diamonds  fall  from  her  lips,  begged  her  to 
explain  how  such  a  marvel  could  be.  When  she 
told  him  about  the  Fairy's  gift,  he  thought  that 
such  a  wedding  portion  was  more  than  he  could 
expect  with  a  Princess,  so  he  led  the  girl  to  his 
palace,  and  married  her. 

As  for  the  sister,  she  made  herself  so  hated,  and 
so  many  vipers  and  toads  sprang  from  her  mouth, 
that  at  last  her  mother  drove  her  from  home.  And, 
after  having  been  refused  shelter  by  all  the  neigh- 
bours, she  died  in  a  dark  corner  of  the  wood. 

Charles  Perrault 


BLANCHE  AND  ROSE 

Once  upon  a  time  there  was  a  poor  widow,  who 
had  two  charming  daughters.  She  named  the 
elder  Blanche,  and  the  younger  Rose,  because 
they  had  the  most  beautiful  complexions  in  the 
world. 

One  day,  while  the  mother  sat  spinning  at  the 
door  of  her  cottage,  she  saw  a  poor,  bent,  old 
woman  hobbling  by  on  a  crutch.  She  pitied  her, 
and  said :  — 

"You  are  very  tired.  Sit  down  a  minute  and 
rest." 

Then  she  called  her  daughters  to  fetch  a  chair. 
They  both  hastened,  but  Rose  ran  faster  than  her 
sister  and  brought  it. 

"Will  you  not  have  a  drink?  "  asked  the  mother 
kindly. 

"Indeed,  I  will,"  replied  the  old  woman.  "And 
it  seems  to  me  that  I  could  eat  a  morsel,  too,  if 
you  will  give  me  something  to  strengthen  me." 

"I  will  gladly  give  you  all  that  I  have,"  said  the 
mother,  "but  as  I  am  poor,  it  will  not  be  much." 

Then  she  bade  her  daughters  wait  on  the  old 
woman,  who  had  seated  herself  at  the  table.  She 
told  Blanche  to  go  and  pick  some  plums  from  the 
plum  tree  that  Blanche  herself  had  planted,  and 


BLANCHE  AND  ROSE  259 

of  which  she  was  very  proud.  But  instead  of  obey- 
ing her  mother  pleasantly,  she  went  away  grum- 
bling, and  thinking,  "What  a  shame  that  I  have 
taken  such  care  of  my  tree  just  for  this  greedy 
old  woman!"  However,  she  did  not  dare  refuse 
to  fetch  some  plums,  and  she  brought  them  with 
a  very  bad  grace,  and  evidently  much  against  her 
will. 

"And  you,  Rose,"  said  the  mother,  "you  have 
no  fruit  to  give  this  good  lady,  for  your  grapes  are 
not  yet  ripe!" 

"That  is  true,"  answered  Rose,  "but  I  hear 
my  hen  cackling.  She  has  just  laid  an  egg,  and  I 
will  give  that  with  all  my  heart!" 

And  without  allowing  the  old  woman  time  to 
speak,  Rose  ran  out  to  seek  the  egg.  But  when 
she  came  back  the  old  woman  had  disappeared, 
and  in  her  place  stood  the  most  beautiful  lady  — 
a  Fairy. 

"Good  woman,"  said  she  to  the  mother,  "I  am 
about  to  reward  your  two  daughters  as  they  de- 
serve. The  elder  shall  become  a  great  Queen,  and 
the  younger  shall  be  a  farmer's  wife." 

Then  the  lady  waved  a  wand  and  in  a  twinkling 
the  little  cottage  was  changed  into  a  pretty  farm- 
house surrounded  by  a  flourishing  farm. 

"This  is  your  wedding  portion,"  said  she  to 
Rose.  "I  know  I  am  giving  to  each  of  you  what 
you  like  best." 


260    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

So  saying  the  Fairy  disappeared,  leaving  the 
mother  and  daughters  speechless  with  surprise 
and  joy.  They  were  delighted  with  the  spotless- 
ness  of  all  the  furniture.  The  chairs  were  of  wood, 
but  they  were  so  well  polished  that  they  shone 
like  mirrors.  The  beds  were  covered  with  linen 
as  white  as  snow.  In  the  stables  there  were  twenty 
sheep,  as  many  lambs,  four  oxen,  four  cows;  and 
in  the  yard  were  chickens,  ducks,  and  pigeons. 
There  was  also  a  pretty  garden  full  of  fruits  and 
flowers. 

Blanche  saw  without  jealousy  all  that  the  Fairy 
had  given  her  sister.  She  was  taken  up  with  the 
thought  of  the  delightful  times  she  should  have 
when  she  became  a  Queen.  Just  then  a  party  of 
royal  hunters  passed  by.  And  while  she  stood  in 
the  door  to  look  at  them,  she  appeared  so  won- 
derfully beautiful  in  the  eyes  of  the  Bang  that  he 
determined  to  marry  her. 

After  she  became  Queen,  she  said  to  Rose:  "I  do 
not  wish  you  to  be  a  farmer's  wife.  Come  with 
me,  sister,  and  I  will  wed  you  to  a  great  lord." 

"I  am  much  obliged  to  you,  my  sister,"  an- 
swered Rose,  "but  I  am  used  to  the  country,  and 
wish  always  to  remain  here." 

During  the  first  months  of  her  marriage  Queen 
Blanche  was  so  occupied  with  fine  clothes,  balls, 
and  the  theatre,  that  she  thought  of  nothing  else. 
But  afterward  she  became  accustomed  to  the  gay 


BLANCHE  AND  ROSE  261 

doings  of  the  Court,  and  nothing  amused  her.  On 
the  contrary,  she  had  many  troubles. 

At  first  the  courtiers  paid  her  great  deference, 
but  she  knew  that  when  she  was  not  present,  they 
said  to  each  other:  "See  how  this  little  peasant 
puts  on  the  airs  of  a  fine  lady!  The  King  must 
have  very  low  taste  to  choose  such  a  wife!" 

Talk  like  this  came  to  the  King,  and  he  began 
to  think  that  he  had  made  a  mistake  in  marrying 
Blanche,  so  he  ceased  to  love  her,  and  neglected 
her  sadly.  When  the  courtiers  saw  this,  they  no 
longer  did  her  honour.  She  had  not  one  true 
friend  to  whom  she  might  confide  her  sorrows. 
She  always  had  a  doctor  near  her  who  examined 
her  food  and  took  away  everything  she  liked.  They 
put  no  salt  in  her  soups.  She  was  forbidden  to 
walk  when  she  wished  to.  In  a  word,  she  was  in- 
terfered with  from  morning  to  night.  The  King 
took  her  children  from  her,  and  gave  them  in 
charge  of  governesses  who  brought  them  up  badly. 
But  the  Queen  dared  not  say  a  word. 

Poor  Blanche !  She  was  dying  of  grief.  She  be- 
came so  thin  that  everybody  pitied  her.  She  had 
not  seen  her  sister  for  several  years,  because  she 
thought  that  it  would  disgrace  a  Queen  to  visit 
a  farmer's  wife.  But  now  feeling  herself  so  un- 
happy, she  asked  the  King's  permission  to  pass  a 
few  days  in  the  country.  He  gladly  gave  his  con- 
sent, for  he  was  delighted  to  be  rid  of  her. 


m%    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

When  she  arrived  in  the  evening  at  the  home  of 
Rose,  a  band  of  shepherds  and  shepherdesses  were 
dancing  gaily  on  the  grass.  "There  was  a  time," 
sighed  Blanche,  "when  I  amused  myself  like  these 
simple  people!  Then  there  was  no  one  to  pre- 
vent it!" 

While  she  was  thinking  thus,  her  sister  ran  to 
embrace  her,  looking  so  happy  and  plump  that 
Blanche  could  not  help  weeping  as  she  gazed  at  her. 

Rose  had  married  a  young  farmer,  who  loved 
her  dearly;  and  together  they  managed  the  farm 
that  was  the  Fairy's  marriage  portion.  Rose  had 
not  many  servants,  but  those  she  had  she  treated 
so  kindly  that  they  were  as  devoted  to  her  as  if 
they  were  her  children.  Her  neighbours,  too, 
were  so  fond  of  her  that  they  were  always  trying 
to  show  it.  She  had  not  much  money,  but  she  had 
no  need  of  it,  for  her  farm  produced  wheat,  wine, 
and  oil;  her  flocks  furnished  milk;  and  she  made 
butter  and  cheese.  She  spun  the  wool  of  her  sheep 
into  clothing  for  her  household,  all  of  whom  en- 
joyed the  best  of  health.  When  the  day's  work 
was  done,  the  whole  family  amused  themselves 
with  games,  music,  and  dancing. 

"Alas!"  cried  Queen  Blanche,  "the  Fairy  made 
me  but  a  sad  gift  when  she  gave  me  a  crown! 
People  do  not  find  happiness  in  magnificent  pal- 
aces, but  in  the  simple  joys  and  labour  of  the 
country!" 


BLANCHE  AND  ROSE  263 

As  she  finished  speaking,  the  Fairy  herself  ap- 
peared before  her. 

"I  did  not  intend  to  reward  you  by  making  you 
a  Queen,"  she  said,  "but  to  punish  you  because 
you  gave  your  plums  with  such  bad  grace.  In 
order  to  be  truly  happy  it  is  necessary  to  possess, 
like  your  sister,  only  those  things  that  are  simple 
and  joyful,  and  not  to  wish  for  more." 

"  Ah,  madame ! "  cried  Blanche,  "you  are  suffi- 
ciently avenged !  Pray  put  an  end  to  my  misery ! " 

"It  is  ended,"  replied  the  Fairy.  "Even  now 
the  King,  who  has  ceased  to  love  you,  is  sending 
his  officers  to  forbid  your  returning  to  the  palace." 

All  happened  as  the  Fairy  had  said.  And  Blanche 
passed  the  rest  of  her  life  with  Rose.  She  was 
happy  and  contented,  never  even  thinking  of  the 
royal  Court,  except  when  she  thanked  the  Fairy 
for  taking  her  from  it,  and  bringing  her  back  to  the 
pretty  farm  and  to  her  dear  sister. 

Madame  Le  Prince  de  Beaumont 


THE  ENCHANTED  WATCH 

There  once  lived  a  gay  young  girl  named  Fannie, 
who  never  knew  what  time  it  was.  Did  she  care? 
That  I  cannot  say.  And  it  is  impossible  for  me  to 
tell  you  how  often  she  kept  her  father  waiting,  and 
caused  him  to  be  late  for  his  appointments.  And 
such  a  kind  father  as  he  was  to  Fannie,  for  she  was 
his  only  child  and  he  loved  her  very  much.  In- 
deed, he  loved  her  so  much  that  he  overlooked  her 
faults  when  he  should  have  reproved  them.  Whole 
half-hours  she  used  to  keep  the  carriage  waiting 
in  front  of  the  door,  while  she  prinked  before  her 
mirror.  And  because  she  was  never  prompt,  every 
one  called  her  "Miss  Tardy."  Yet,  after  keeping 
people  waiting,  she  would  excuse  herself  in  the 
sweetest  manner  possible,  and  blame  herself  for 
thoughtlessness . 

One  day  her  old  Godmother  wrote  that  she  was 
coming  the  next  morning  to  lunch  with  Fannie 
at  noon.  She  was  a  Fairy  so  celebrated  for  her 
promptness  that  people  called  her  "the  Fairy 
Prompt,"  of  which  name  she  was  very  proud. 
With  her,  noon  was  not  ten  minutes  after  twelve, 
nor  ten  minutes  before  twelve,  but  it  was  exactly 
twelve  o'clock. 

So  the  next  morning,  at  the  first  stroke  of 


THE  ENCHANTED  WATCH        ZQ5 

twelve,  she  set  her  foot  on  the  bottom  step  of 
Fannie's  house,  and,  as  the  last  stroke  died  away, 
she  entered  the  dining-room.  The  table  was  beau- 
tifully laid,  and  all  was  ready,  but  Fannie  was  not 
there.  Indeed,  Miss  Tardy  had  forgotten  all  about 
her  Godmother,  and  was  calling  on  a  friend.  She 
was  trying  on  her  friend's  beautiful  new  clothes 
and  having  such  a  fine  time  that  the  Godmother 
was  utterly  forgotten,  as  if  she  had  never  been  in 
the  world. 

But  at  last  hunger  reminded  Fannie  of  luncheon, 
and  she  hurried  home.  The  servants  informed  her 
that  her  Godmother  had  arrived,  but  as  Fannie's 
shoes  pinched  her,  she  rushed  to  her  room  and 
put  on  a  pretty  little  pair  of  slippers.  Then,  as  her 
street  clothes  were  not  suitable  for  slippers,  she 
changed  her  dress  for  a  becoming  house-gown. 
By  this  time  it  was  two  o'clock. 

She  found  her  Godmother  asleep  in  a  comfort- 
able chair,  such  as  is  not  made  any  more;  and, 
I  think,  she  was  snoring  a  little.  She  awoke  as 
Fannie  opened  the  door  hurriedly. 

"My  dear  Godmother,"  said  she,  "I  am  so 
sorry!  —  so  ashamed!  —  I  am  indeed  a  thought- 
less creature  to  keep  you  waiting  this  way!" 

"That  is  all  right,"  said  the  Godmother,  who 
was  very  kind  and  indulgent  to  Fannie.  "I  have 
slept  a  little,  while  waiting  for  you.  That  will  do 
me  no  harm.   What  time  is  it?" 


266    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

"Oh,  please  do  not  ask  me!"  begged  Fannie, 
"you  will  make  me  die  with  shame!" 

And  like  a  playful  child  she  ran  and  stood  in 
front  of  the  clock,  but  her  Fairy  Godmother,  who 
had  good  eyes,  saw  that  the  hand  had  passed  two 
o'clock. 

The  dinner,  as  you  may  well  imagine,  was  over- 
done, but  the  Fairy,  who  really  loved  her  god- 
daughter, took  it  alias  good-naturedly  as  possible, 
and  made  many  gay  jokes  as  she  tried  to  eat  the 
burnt  roasts  and  the  scorched  creams, 
fe?  It  was  soon  four  o'clock,  and  Fannie's  father 
hurriedly  entered  the  drawing-room,  where  she 
was  chatting  with  her  Godmother. 

"Well,  Fannie!"  he  cried.  "Are  you  ready? 
Are  you  ready?"  Then  he  started  back  when  he 
saw  his  daughter,  in  her  pretty  pink  and  blue 
house-gown,  stretched  indolently  on  a  sofa,  her 
feet  to  the  fire,  while  she  daintily  sipped  her 
coffee. 

"What!"  exclaimed  her  father.  "Have  you 
forgotten  that  you  were  to  be  ready  at  four 
o'clock!" 

"Do  you  not  see  my  Godmother  with  me, 
Papa?"  said  Fannie  reproachfully. 

"Pardon  me,  madame,"  said  the  father,  turn- 
ing to  the  Fairy  and  bowing,  although  his  face 
was  red  with  anger.  "Excuse  my  rudeness,  but 
my  daughter  will  cause  me  to  die  with  grief!"  ' 


THE  ENCHANTED  WATCH        267 

"And  what  has  the  poor  child  done?"  asked 
the  Godmother. 

"Judge  for  yourself,"  said  he.  "Prince  Pan- 
dolph  has  invited  us  to  his  villa.  Fannie  is  to 
sing  for  his  guests.  They  are  all  assembled  and 
expecting  her.  The  Prince  has  sent  his  carriage 
which  is  now  waiting  before  the  door." 

"But,  Papa,"  said  Fannie,  "cannot  you  go 
without  me?" 

"You  know  that  cannot  be,  child,"  said  her 
father  sadly.  "It  is  you  who  are  invited,  and  it 
is  your  fine  voice  that  the  Prince  wishes  for  his 
musicale.  He  will  now  be  offended  for  ever, 
since  you  cannot  go  in  this  dress." 

"Calm  yourself,  my  good  sir,"  said  the  God- 
mother, seeing  Fannie's  confusion.  "It  is  because 
of  me  that  this  dear  little  one  has  forgotten  you. 
It  is  for  me  to  repair  this  evil." 

So  saying  she  passed  her  hand  over  the  unfor- 
tunate house-gown  and  it  was  instantly  trans- 
formed into  the  most  ravishing  robe  embroidered 
with  gold  and  pearls.  Fannie,  who  was  naturally 
very  pretty,  shone  like  a  star  in  this  brilliant 
costume. 

"Wait  a  minute,"  said  the  Fairy  to  the  impa- 
tient father,  who  was  already  leading  his  daughter 
away.  "Let  me  finish  my  work."  And  she  put 
around  the  neck  of  her  goddaughter  a  magnificent 
golden  chain  at  the  end  of  which  hung  an  ex- 


268    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

quisite  little  watch  the  size  of  a  locket,  and  all  of 
chased  gold  studded  with  diamonds. 

"Now,  little  one,"  said  she,  kissing  the  fore- 
head of  the  spoilt  child,  "here  is  something  that 
will  aid  your  naughty  memory.  With  this  you  will 
never  again  forget  an  engagement.  Be  sure  to 
come  home  by  ten  o'clock." 

"Oh,  yes,  indeed!"  said  Fannie,  kissing  her 
Godmother  joyfully. 

It  is  necessary  to  say  here  that  it  was  the  Fairy 
Prompt  who  invented  watches  in  her  youth.  But 
hers  were  not  like  those  sold  nowadays  in  the 
shops.  There  was  a  magic  virtue  in  each  watch, 
for  when  the  hour  of  an  engagement  arrived,  it 
made  so  loud  a  ticking  that  the  owner  of  it  had 
no  peace  until  he  kept  his  engagement. 

So  it  happened  that  while  Fannie  was  listening 
to  the  praises  of  the  Prince  and  his  guests,  who 
were  saying  that  she  had  the  most  delightful  voice 
in  the  world,  she  heard  a  gentle  sound,  but  very 
distinct :  — 

"Tic!  Tic!  TicT 

"It  is  ten  o'clock!"  exclaimed  Fannie  joyously 
to  her  father.  "Oh!  my  dear,  good,  little  watch, 
that  my  Godmother  gave  me,  it  has  told  me  so! 
We  must  hurry  home." 

Her  father,  who  was  very  much  pleased  because 
she  had  charmed  the  Prince  and  his  guests  with 
her  sweet  voice,  said  as  they  drove  away:  — 


THE  ENCHANTED  WATCH        269 

"My  dear  child,  to-morrow  I  am  going  to  take 
you  to  the  finest  jeweller  in  town,  and  buy  for 
you  the  bracelet  of  antique  cameos  that  you 
have  been  begging  me  for.  At  what  time  do  you 
wish  to  go?  At  ten  o'clock?  " 

"Oh,  no!"  cried  Fannie,  her  eyes  sparkling 
with  delight,  "at  nine  o'clock,  please!  Ever  since 
I  saw  the  bracelet  I  have  been  dying  to  possess 
it!" 

"Very  good!  At  nine  o'clock,  then.  And  what 
shall  we  do  with  the  rest  of  our  morning?" 

"At  exactly  ten  I  am  to  go  to  the  dressmak- 
er's to  order  some  new  gowns,"  said  Fannie,  "but 
may  we  not  lunch  together  at  eleven?" 

"Just  as  you  say,  dear  little  nightingale," 
answered  her  father  affectionately.  "And  order 
all  the  gowns  and  furbelows  you  wish,  for  the 
plumage  should  match  the  warbling.  And  since 
it  suits  you,  I  will  meet  you  promptly  at  eleven, 
for  at  twelve  I  have  an  important  business  en- 
gagement." 

"At  eleven  o'clock,  then,  dear  Papa,"  said 
Fannie,  "but  do  not  forget  to  return  in  time  this 
evening  to  escort  me  to  the  Baron's  ball!" 

"Don't  worry!"  said  her  father,  smiling,  "for 
nothing  in  the  world  would  I  make  a  pearl  of  a 
daughter  like  you  wait  for  an  escort ! " 

The  next  morning  Fannie  rose  early  and 
dressed  more  rapidly  than  usual,  and  was  ready 


270    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

waiting  for  her  father  at  nine.  They  drove  to  the 
jeweller's.  How  her  eyes  sparkled  as  her  father 
clasped  the  cameo  bracelet  on  her  arm!  But  the 
jeweller,  who  hoped  to  sell  Fannie  a  necklace  as 
well,  took  from  his  showcase  such  beautiful  col- 
lars of  pearls,  rubies,  amethysts,  and  other  gems 
and  precious  stones  that  she  forgot  how  the  time 
was  flying. 

"Tic!  Tic!  Tic!  Tic!" 

"Thank  you,  dear  watch,  for  warning  me!" 
said  Fannie  gaily,  "but  the  dressmaker  must 
wait!" 

"Tic!  Tic!  Tic!  Tic!  Tic!" 

"You  insupportable  thing!"  cried  she,  and 
taking  the  watch  from  her  neck  she  handed  it 
to  her  father,  saying:  "I  beg  you,  dear  Papa,  to 
put  this  in  your  pocket.   It  is  very  annoying!" 

He  took  the  watch,  and  seeing  a  friend  on  the 
street,  went  to  the  door  to  speak  with  him. 

"Toe!  Toe!  Toe!  Toe!" 

The  watch  raised  its  voice  so  that  Fannie 
should  hear  it.  The  people  in  the  shop  all  asked 
where  the  noise  came  from.  And  her  father,  mor- 
tified, said  good-bye  to  his  friend,  gave  back  the 
watch  to  Fannie,  and  hurried  her  into  the  carriage. 

She  was  soon  at  the  dressmaker's,  and  her  ill- 
humour  passed  as  she  ordered  a  dress  of  pink  bro- 
cade trimmed  with  rich  lace,  and  a  robe  of  garnet 
velvet  embroidered  with  gold  threads,  and  a  cloak 


THE  ENCHANTED  WATCH        271 

of  silver  cloth  trimmed  with  pearls.  She  was  not 
yet  through  when  she  glanced  at  the  clock,  and 
saw  that  it  was  eleven. 

"Oh!"  thought  she,  "that  horrid  watch  is 
going  to  disturb  me  again!  But  I'll  finish  my 
ordering!" 

"Toe!  Toe!  Toe!  Toe!" 

The  dressmaker  turned  her  head.  "What's 
that,  Miss?"  she  exclaimed  with  fright. 

"It  is  nothing,  let  us  go  on!"  said  Miss  Tardy. 
'"Toe!  Toe!  Toe!  Toe!"  louder  than  before. 

"It  is  thieves!  It  is  thieves!"  cried  the  dress- 
maker. 

"It  is  nothing  I  tell  you  —  unfold  this  gown." 

"Toe!  —  Toe!  —  Toe!  —  Toe!"  louder  and 
louder! 

And  the  poor  dressmaker,  half  dead  with  fright, 
was  in  such  a  state  that  she  could  show  no  more 
clothes.  And  Fannie  put  on  her  hat  and  coat,  and 
hurried  away  to  the  restaurant  where  she  found 
her  father  walking  nervously  up  and  down. 

"Ah!  how  thoughtful  of  you,  dear  child,  to  be 
prompt ! "  he  said,  as  he  led  her  to  a  table.  And 
the  delicious  food  soon  made  her  forget  her  an- 
noyance. 

When  Fannie  returned  home  she  was  so  fa- 
tigued that  she  put  on  a  charming  wrapper,  and 
lay  down  to  rest.  Then  she  remembered  that  she 
had  an  engagement  to  see  a  poor  man  at  two 


272    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

o'clock,  whose  want  she  had  promised  to  relieve. 
She  took  the  fatal  watch  from  her  neck,  and 
giving  it  to  the  maid,  said :  — 

"Take  this,  and  carry  it  to  the  cellar,  so  that 
I  may  be  rid  of  it ! " 

Two  o'clock  struck,  and  the  poor  old  man, 
who  had  had  nothing  to  eat  for  three  days,  pre- 
sented himself.  The  maid  told  him  that  Miss 
Fannie  was  sleeping  and  would  not  see  him.  With 
tears  streaming  down  his  cheeks,  he  bowed 
humbly  and  was  turning  away,  when  everybody 
in  the  house  jumped  to  the  ceiling. 

"Paf!  Paf!  Paf!  Paf!"  It  was  like  so  many 
shots  from  a  pistol. 

The  neighbours  commenced  screaming.  The 
servants  ran  frantically  to  and  fro. 

Fannie  sprang  up  from  her  couch. 

"Paf!  Paf!  Paf!  Paf!" 

"It  must  be  that  wretched  watch!"  cried  she. 

"Paf!  —  Paf!  —  Paf!  —  Paf!  " 

"Yes!  Yes!  I  am  coming!  I  am  coming!" 
And  she  hurried  to  the  cellar  and,  picking  up  the 
watch,  returned  to  her  room  in  silence. 

Then  she  called  the  poor  old  man,  fed  him,  and 
comforted  him,  and  sent  him  away  with  a  full 
purse. 

Evening  arrived,  and  Fannie,  all  dressed  for  the 
Baron's  ball,  shone  more  beautifully  than  ever 
in  her  magnificent  gown.   And  just  as  her  father 


THE  ENCHANTED  WATCH        273 

was  leading  her  to  the  carriage,  a  clumsy  wagon 
drove  up,  and  an  old  countrywoman  descended 
from  it,  crying  out  that  she  must  see  her  dear 
child  —  her  Fannie  —  just  once  more  before 
she  died.  It  was  Fannie's  old  nurse  who  had  come 
all  the  way  from  her  village  miles  distant  to  hold 
her  dear  child  in  her  arms.  When  she  saw  that 
Fannie  was  ready  to  go  out,  she  screamed  loudly 
and  would  have  made  herself  ill,  if  Fannie  had 
not  embraced  her  tenderly,  and  promised  to  re- 
turn before  midnight.  On  the  strength  of  this 
promise  the  old  woman  grew  calm,  and  Fannie 
and  her  father  went  away  to  the  ball. 

But  as  the  carriage  drove  through  the  streets, 
Fannie  regretted  her  promise,  and  slipping  her 
little  hand  under  her  cloak,  she  loosened  the 
fatal  watch,  and  flung  it  into  a  deep  ditch. 

"At  last!  At  last!"  she  said  to  herself,  with  a 
sigh  of  relief. 

Midnight  sounded,  and  found  her  breathlessly 
twirling  around  in  the  dance,  her  eyes  sparkling 
and  her  cheeks  glowing. 

"Boom!  Boom!  Boom!  Boom!" 

The  orchestra  stopped  suddenly.  The  thunder- 
claps—  for  so  they  seemed  to  be  —  continued  to 
follow  each  other  without  interruption. 

"Boom!  Boom!  Boom!  Boom!" 

All  the  city  was  awake.  Women  cried  out  that 
the  end  of  the  world  was  come. 


274    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

The  unfortunate  Fannie  knew  in  a  minute 
what  it  was.  Fright  seized  her,  and  she  lost  her 
head.  Instead  of  returning  home  quietly,  which 
would  have  put  an  end  to  the  horrible  racket, 
she  ran  out  into  the  street,  and,  wild  with  fright, 
hastened  with  all  speed  to  the  spot  where  she  had 
thrown  the  watch. 

"Boom I  Boom!  Boom!  Boom!  Boom!  Boom! 
Boom!  Boom!" 

The  houses  were  lighted.  The  amazed  people 
thrust  their  heads  out  the  windows.  All  that 
they  saw  was  a  young  girl  running  through  the 
streets,  her  neck  and  head  bare,  and  her  ball- 
gown flying  in  the  wind. 

"Boom!  Boom!  Boom!  Boom!  Boom!  Boom! 
Boom!  Boom!"  — every  stroke  was  louder  and 
more  fearful. 

The  firemen  came  hurrying  up  to  see  if  there 
was  a  fire,  and  one  of  them  held  his  lantern  under 
Fannie's  nose,  and  cried  out:  "Why,  it  is  little 
Miss  Tardy !  She  has  doubtless  lost  the  time,  and 
is  hunting  for  it!  Ha!  Ha!" 

Meanwhile  Fannie  ran  on,  and  arrived  breath- 
lessly at  the  ditch  into  which  she  had  flung  the 
watch.  Guided  by  its  thunderous  blows,  she 
quickly  laid  her  fingers  on  it.  In  a  fury  she  was 
about  to  dash  it  against  a  stone  when  she  felt  a 
hand  on  her  arm. 

It  was  her  Fairy  Godmother,  who,  in  gentle 


THE  ENCHANTED  WATCH        275 

tones  of  reproach,  said:  "What  are  you  doing, 
my  child?  You  can  never  succeed!" 

Then  she  took  the  watch  from  Fannie,  which 
instantly  became  quiet,  and  passed  the  chain 
around  the  neck  of  her  goddaughter,  who  was 
trembling  with  penitence  and  shame. 

"Neither  violence  nor  trickery,"  said  her  God- 
mother, "have  any  power  over  my  gift  to  you. 
All  you  can  do  is  to  take  it,  and  obey.  And  then 
you  will  find  yourself  happy." 

At  the  same  moment  Miss  Tardy  felt  herself 
being  transported  through  the  air,  and  found  her- 
self once  more  in  her  own  room,  holding  the  hand 
of  her  old  nurse,  who  was  weeping  with  tender- 
ness and  joy. 

I  have  no  need  to  tell  you  that  Fannie  never 
again  attempted  to  disobey  the  protecting  tyrant 
that  she  wore  around  her  neck.  And  as  the  watch 
no  longer  had  to  warn  her  with  its  loud  ticking, 
she  learned  in  time  to  enjoy  sacrificing  her  whims 
to  her  duty. 

Jean  Mace  (Adapted) 


QUEEN  MAB 

A  little  Fairy  comes  at  night; 

Her  eyes  are  blue,  her  hair  is  brown, 
With  silver  spots  upon  her  wings, 

And  from  the  moon  she  flutters  down. 

She  has  a  little  silver  wand; 

And  when  a  good  child  goes  to  bed, 
She  waves  her  wand  from  right  to  left, 

And  makes  a  circle  round  its  head. 

And  then  it  dreams  of  pleasant  things, 
Of  fountains  filled  with  Fairy  fish, 

And  trees  that  bear  delicious  fruit, 
And  bow  their  branches  at  a  wish; 

Of  arbours  filled  with  dainty  scents 
From  lovely  flowers  that  never  fade; 

Bright  flies  that  glitter  in  the  sun 
And  glow-worms  shining  in  the  shade; 

And  talking  birds  with  gifted  tongues 
For  singing  songs  and  telling  tales, 

And  pretty  Dwarfs  to  show  the  way 
Through  Fairy  hills  and  Fairy  dales. 


QUEEN  MAB  277 

But  when  a  bad  child  goes  to  bed, 

From  left  to  right  she  weaves  her  rings, 

And  then  it  dreams  all  through  the  night 
Of  only  ugly  horrid  things! 

Then  wicked  children  wake  and  weep, 
And  wish  the  long  black  gloom  away; 

But  good  ones  love  the  dark,  and  find 
The  night  as  pleasant  as  the  day. 

Thomas  Hood  (Condensed) 


FAIRY  ADVENTURES 


A  little  knight  and  little  maid 

Met  on  the  rim  of  Fairyland; 
A  rippling  stream  betwixt  them  played; 

The  little  knight  reached  out  his  hand, 

And  said:  "Now,  may  I  cross  to  you, 

Or  will  you  come  across  to  me?" 
Out  spoke  the  little  maiden  true: 
"  Sir  knight,  nor  this  nor  that  can  be: 

"For  I  am  here  white  flowers  to  sow, 
That  little  maidens  far  behind, 
Or  wandering  on  the  plains  below, 
Their  pathway  up  the  hill  may  find. 

"And  you  are  there  good  work  to  do; 
To  clear  the  brambles  from  the  way, 
That  little  knights  who  follow  you 
May  not  upon  the  mountains  stray" 

Lucy  Labcom 


FAIRY  DO-NOTHING  AND  GIANT 
SNAP-'EM-UP 

In  the  days  of  yore  there  lived  a  very  idle,  greedy, 
naughty  boy  such  as  we  never  hear  of  in  these 
times.  His  name  was  Master  No-Book.  The 
young  gentleman  hated  lessons  like  mustard, 
both  of  which  brought  tears  to  his  eyes.  And 
during  school  hours  he  sat  gazing  at  his  books, 
pretending  to  be  busy,  while  he  considered  where 
he  could  get  the  nicest  pies,  pastries,  ices,  and  jel- 
lies. He  smacked  his  lips  at  the  very  thought  of 
them. 

Whenever  Master  No-Book  spoke,  it  was  to 
ask  for  a  piece  of  cake,  or  an  apple,  or  a  bit  of 
plum  pudding.  Indeed,  very  frequently  when 
he  did  not  get  permission  to  eat  the  goodies,  this 
naughty  glutton  helped  himself  without  leave. 

One  afternoon  Master  No-Book,  having  played 
truant  from  school,  was  lolling  on  his  mamma's 
best  sofa,  with  his  leather  boots  tucked  up  on  the 
satin  cushions,  and  nothing  to  do  but  to  suck  a 
few  oranges,  and  nothing  to  think  of  but  how 
much  sugar  to  put  into  them,  when  suddenly  an 
event  took  place  which  filled  him  with  astonish- 
ment. 

A  sound  of  soft  music  stole  into  the  room,  be- 


282    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

coming  louder  and  louder,  the  longer  he  listened, 
till  at  length  a  large  hole  burst  open  in  the  wall 
of  the  room.  Then  there  stepped  into  his  pres- 
ence two  magnificent  Fairies,  just  arrived  from 
their  castles  in  the  air,  to  pay  him  a  visit.  They 
had  travelled  all  the  way  on  purpose  to  talk  with 
Master  No-Book. 

The  Fairy  Do-Nothing  was  gorgeously  dressed 
with  a  wreath  of  flames  round  her  head,  a  robe 
of  gold  tissue,  a  necklace  of  rubies,  and  a  bou- 
quet of  glittering  diamonds  in  her  hand.  Her 
teeth  were  gold,  her  hair  was  of  the  most  brilliant 
purple,  and  her  eyes  were  green.  In  fact  she  was 
a  most  fine  and  fashionable  Fairy. 

The  Fairy  Teach-All,  who  followed  next,  was 
simply  dressed  in  white  muslin,  with  bunches  of 
natural  flowers  in  her  brown  hair;  and  she  car- 
ried a  few,  neat,  small  books,  which  made  Mas- 
ter No-Book  shudder. 

The  two  Fairies  now  informed  him  that  they 
very  often  invited  large  parties  of  children  to 
spend  some  time  at  their  palaces.  Therefore  they 
had  now  come  to  invite  Master  No-Book,  but 
as  they  lived  in  opposite  directions,  he  would 
have  to  choose  which  he  would  visit  first. 

"In  my  house,"  said  the  Fairy  Teach- All, 
speaking  with  a  very  sweet  smile,  and  a  soft, 
pleasing  voice,  "my  young  friends  rise  at  seven 
every  morning,  and  amuse  themselves  with  work- 


FAIRY  DO-NOTHING  283 

ing  in  a  beautiful  garden  of  flowers,  raising  fruits 
of  all  kinds,  visiting  the  poor,  playing  together, 
and  learning  to  know  the  world  they  live  in  and 
how  to  fulfill  the  purposes  for  which  they  have 
been  brought  into  it.  In  short,  all  our  amuse- 
ments tend  to  some  useful  object;  and  you  will 
grow  wiser,  better,  and  happier  every  day  you 
remain  in  the  Palace  of  Knowledge." 

"But  in  the  Castle  Needless,  where  I  live," 
interrupted  the  Fairy  Do-Nothing,  rudely  push- 
ing her  companion  aside,  "we  never  think  of 
working.  No  one  is  ever  asked  a  question.  We 
lead  the  most  fashionable  life  imaginable.  Each 
of  my  visitors  sits  with  his  back  to  as  many  of  the 
company  as  possible,  and  whenever  he  can,  he 
sits  in  the  most  comfortable  chair.  If  he  takes 
the  trouble  to  wish  for  anything,  he  gets  it. 
Clothes  are  provided  of  the  most  magnificent 
kinds,  which  go  on  by  themselves  without  but- 
tons or  strings.  Delicious  dishes  are  served  smok- 
ing hot  under  his  nose,  at  all  hours,  while  any  rain 
that  falls  is  of  lemonade,  chocolate,  and  cider. 
And  in  Winter  it  generally  snows  ice-cream  and 
tutti-frutti,  for  an  hour  during  the  forenoon." 

Nobody  need  be  told  which  Fairy  Master  No- 
Book  preferred.  And  quite  charmed  at  his  good 
fortune  in  receiving  such  a  delightful  invitation, 
he  eagerly  gave  his  hand  to  his  splendid  new 
acquaintance,  who  promised  him  so  much  pleas- 


284    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

ure  and  ease.  He  gladly  proceeded  with  her  in  a 
carriage  lined  with  velvet,  stuffed  with  downy 
pillows,  and  drawn  by  milk-white  swans,  to  that 
magnificent  residence,  Castle  Needless,  which 
was  lighted  by  a  thousand  windows  during  the 
day  and  by  a  million  lamps  at  night. 

Here  Master  No-Book  enjoyed  a  constant  holi- 
day and  a  continual  feast.  A  beautiful  lady,  cov- 
ered with  jewels,  was  ready  to  tell  him  stories 
from  morning  till  night.  Servants  waited  to  pick 
up  his  playthings  if  they  fell,  and  to  draw  out 
his  purse  or  pocket  handkerchief  when  he  wished 
to  use  them. 

Thus  Master  No-Book  lay  dozing  for  hours 
and  days  on  richly  embroidered  cushions,  never 
stirring  from  his  place  in  the  garden,  but  admiring 
the  view  of  trees  covered  with  the  richest  burnt 
almonds,  the  grottoes  of  sugar-candy,  a  fountain 
of  lemonade,  and  a  bright  clear  pond  filled  with 
goldfish  that  let  themselves  be  caught. 

Nothing  could  be  more  complete,  yet  strange 
to  say  Master  No-Book  did  not  seem  particu- 
larly happy.  Every  day  he  became  more  peev- 
ish. No  sweetmeats  were  worth  the  trouble  of 
eating,  no  game  was  pleasant  to  play,  and  he 
wished  that  it  were  possible  to  sleep  all  day  as 
well  as  night. 

Not  a  hundred  miles  from  the  Fairy  Do-Noth- 
ing's palace,  there  lived  a  cruel  monster  called 


FAIRY  DO-NOTHING  285 

the  Giant  Snap-'Em-Up.  When  he  stood  erect, 
he  looked  like  the  tall  steeple  of  a  great  church. 
He  raised  his  head  so  high  that  he  could  peep 
over  the  loftiest  mountains;  and  he  was  obliged 
to  climb  a  ladder  to  comb  his  own  hair. 

Every  morning  this  prodigiously  great  Giant 
walked  round  the  world  before  breakfast,  looking 
for  something  to  eat.  He  lived  in  fine  style,  and 
his  dinners  were  most  magnificent,  consisting  of 
an  elephant  roasted  whole,  ostrich  patties,  a  tiger 
smothered  in  onions,  stewed  lions,  and  whale 
soup.  But  for  a  side  dish,  his  favourite  of  all  con- 
sisted of  little  boys,  as  fat  as  possible,  fried  in 
crumbs  of  bread  with  plenty  of  pepper  and  salt. 

No  children  were  so  well-fed  or  in  such  good 
condition  for  eating  as  those  in  the  Fairy  Do- 
Nothing's  garden,  who  was  a  particular  friend 
of  the  Giant  Snap-'Em-Up.  She  oftentimes 
laughingly  said  that  she  gave  him  permission  to 
help  himself,  whenever  he  pleased,  to  as  many  of 
her  visitors  as  he  chose.  And  in  return  for  such 
civility  the  Giant  often  invited  her  to  dinner. 
»  One  day,  when  Master  No-Book  felt  even  more 
lazy,  more  idle,  more  miserable  than  ever,  he  lay 
beside  a  perfect  mountain  of  toys  and  cakes, 
wondering  what  to  wish  for  next,  and  hating  the 
very  sight  of  everything  and  everybody.  At  last 
he  gave  so  loud  a  yawn  of  weariness  and  disgust, 
and  he  sighed  so  deeply,  that  the  Giant  Snap- 


286    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

'Em-Up  heard  the  sounds  as  he  passed  along  the 
road  before  breakfast. 

Instantly  he  stepped  into  the  garden  to  see 
what  was  the  matter.  On  observing  a  large, 
fat,  overgrown  boy,  as  round  as  a  dumpling, 
lying  on  a  bed  of  roses,  he  gave  a  cry  of  delight, 
followed  by  a  gigantic  peal  of  laughter  which  was 
heard  three  miles  off. 

Picking  up  Master  No-Book  between  his  fin- 
ger and  thumb,  with  a  pinch  that  nearly  broke 
his  ribs,  he  carried  him  rapidly  toward  his  own 
castle;  while  the  Fairy  Do-Nothing  laughingly 
shook  her  head  as  he  passed,  saying :  — 

"That  little  man  does  me  great  credit!  He  has 
been  fed  only  for  a  week,  and  is  as  fat  already 
as  a  prize  ox!  What  a  dainty  morsel  he  will  be! 
When  do  you  dine,  my  friend  Snap-'Em-Up, 
in  case  I  should  have   time  to   look   in  upon 

you?" 

On  reaching  home  the  Giant  immediately 
hung  up  Master  No-Book  by  the. hair  of  his  head 
on  a  prodigious  hook  in  the  larder.  Then  he 
went  away  to  look  for  more  little  boys. 

There,  in  torture  of  mind  and  body  —  like  a 
fish  on  a  hook  —  the  wretched  Master  No-Book 
began  to  reflect  seriously  on  his  former  ways, 
and  to  consider  what  a  happy  home  he  might 
have  had  if  he  had  been  satisfied  to  go  to  school 
and  study  with  the  other  boys. 


FAIRY  DO-NOTHING  287 

In  the  midst  of  these  sad  reflections,  Master 
No-Book's  attention  was  attracted  by  the  sound 
of  many  voices  laughing,  talking,  and  singing, 
which  caused  him  to  turn  his  eyes  and  look  out 
of  the  larder  window.  For  the  first  time  he  ob- 
served that  the.  Fairy  Teach- All's  garden  lay 
upon  a  beautiful  sloping  bank  not  far  away. 

There  a  crowd  of  merry,  noisy,  rosy-cheeked 
boys  were  busily  employed,  and  seemed  happier 
than  the  day  was  long.  Poor  Master  No-Book 
watched  them,  envying  the  enjoyment  with 
which  they  raked  the  flower-borders,  gathered 
fruit,  carried  baskets  of  vegetables  to  the  poor, 
worked  with  carpenters'  tools,  drew  pictures, 
shot  with  bows  and  arrows,  and  played  ball. 
Then  they  sat  in  sunny  arbours  learning  their 
lessons,  till,  the  dinner-bell  having  been  rung,  the 
whole  party  sat  down  to  a  feast  of  roast  meat, 
apple-pie,  and  other  good  wholesome  things. 
The  Fairy  Teach-All  presided,  and  helped  her 
guests  to  as  much  as  was  good  for  them. 

Large  tears  rolled  down  the  cheeks  of  Master 
No-Book  while  watching  this  scene,  and  remem- 
bering that  if  he  had  known  what  was  best  for 
him,  he  might  have  been  as  happy  as  the  happi- 
est of  these  excellent  boys,  instead  of  being  about 
to  suffer  a  most  miserable  death. 

Now,  as  the  Giant  Snap-'Em-Up  wished  a  nice 
dish  of  fried  boys  for  dinner,  and  as  there  was 


288    BOOK  OP  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

plenty  of  time,  he  seized  a  large  basket  in  his 
hand,  and  set  off  at  a  rapid  pace  toward  the  Fairy 
Teach-AlPs  garden.  It  was  very  seldom  that 
Snap-'Em-Up  ventured  to  forage  there,  as  he 
had  never  once  succeeded  in  carrying  off  a  single 
captive  from  that  garden,  it  was  so  well  forti- 
fied and  so  bravely  defended.  But  on  this  occa- 
sion, being  desperately  hungry,  he  felt  bold  as  a 
lion,  and  walked  with  outstretched  hands  straight 
toward  the  Fairy  Teach- All's  dinner-table,  taking 
such  huge  strides  that  he  seemed  almost  to  tram- 
ple on  himself. 

A  cry  of  consternation  arose  the  minute  this 
tremendous  Giant  appeared.  And  as  usual,  as 
when  on  such  occasions  he  had  made  the  same 
attempt  before,  a  dreadful  battle  took  place. 
Fifty  active  little  boys  flew  upon  the  enemy  with 
their  dinner  knives,  and  like  a  nest  of  hornets, 
stung  him  in  every  direction,  till  he  roared  with 
pain,  and  would  have  run  away;  but  the  Fairy 
Teach- All  rushed  forward,  and  cut  off  his  head 
with  the  carving-knife. 

If  a  great  mountain  had  fallen  to  the  earth,  it 
would  have  seemed  like  nothing  in  comparison 
with  the  Giant  Snap-'Em-Up,  who  crushed  houses 
to  powder  under  him.  But  the  greatest  event 
which  occurred  was  the  death  of  the  Fairy  Do- 
Nothing,  who  had  been  looking  on  at  this  battle, 
and  who  was  too  lazy  to  run  away.   When  the 


FAIRY  DO-NOTHING  289 

Giant  fell,  his  sword  came  with  so  violent  a  stroke 
on  her  head  that  she  instantly  expired. 

The  Fairy  Teach-All,  seeing  the  enemy  dead, 
hastened  to  the  Giant's  Castle,  and  lost  no  time 
in  liberating  Master  No-Book  from  his  hook 
in  the  larder. 

From  this  very  hour,  Master  No-Book  became 
the  most  diligent,  active,  happy  boy  in  the  Fairy 
Teach-AlPs  garden.  And  on  returning  home 
a  few  months  afterward,  he  astonished  all  his 
teachers  at  school  by  his  wisdom  and  studious- 
ness.  He  scarcely  ever  stirred  without  a  book 
in  his  hand,  never  lay  on  a  sofa  again,  and  pre- 
ferred a  three-legged  stool  to  a  comfortable 
chair  with  a  back.  He  detested  holidays,  and 
never  ate  a  morsel  of  food  till  he  had  worked 
very  hard  and  got  an  appetite. 

When  he  grew  up,  he  was  known  as  Sir  Tim- 
othy Bluestocking.  And  though  generally  very 
good-natured  and  agreeable,  Sir  Timothy  was 
occasionally  to  be  seen  in  a  violent  passion,  lay- 
ing around  him  with  his  walking-stick,  and  beat- 
ing little  boys  within  an  inch  of  their  lives.  It 
invariably  appeared  that  he  had  found  them  to 
be  lazy,  idle,  or  greedy. 

Catherine  Sinclair  (Adapted) 


TIMOTHY  TUTTLE  AND  THE 
LITTLE  IMPS 

Timothy  Tuttle,  Esquire,  was  reclining  on  his 
soft,  comfortable  sofa.  The  gas-light  flashed 
brilliantly  over  the  rich  rug  and  rosewood  furni- 
ture, and  fell  softly  on  the  velvet-seated  chairs 
and  heavy  curtains.  It  was  a  mild  evening  in 
June,  and  the  cool  air  came  refreshingly  in,  while 
the  bright  light  flashed  gaily  out  the  windows. 

Timothy  Tuttle,  Esquire,  one  of  the  richest 
merchants  in  the  city,  was  reposing  after  the 
fatigues  of  the  day.  He  was  thinking  how  very 
good  and  respectable  he  was,  and  of  his  success 
in  life,  of  his  great  wealth,  and  especially  of  his 
ships  now  in  the  China  seas,  which  were  bringing 
him  even  more  wealth.  Then  he  thought  of  his 
plans  for  a  fine  new  mansion,  and  how  he  would 
now  be  able  to  purchase  many  costly  things  for 
his  home.  Very  soon  he  grew  weary,  and  fell 
asleep. 

Suddenly  he  awoke  and  heard  something  mov- 
ing over  the  rug,  and  turning  his  head  to  see  what 
it  was,  beheld  a  dozen  or  more  of  the  strangest 
little  creatures  capering  about.  They  were  like 
little  Imps  in  human  form,  but  winged  and  not 
higher  than  Timothy's  knee.    They  were  coal- 


TIMOTHY  TUTTLE  291 

black  from  head  to  foot,  and  were  moving  around 
with  grace  and  agility. 

Timothy  Tuttle  was  a  brave  man,  but  he  was 
very  much  startled  to  see  this  unexpected  sight. 
For  as  soon  as  the  little  Imps  perceived  that  he 
was  awake,  they  began  to  bow  to  him  in  quick 
succession,  more  and  more  rapidly,  and  all  the 
time  grinning  and  showing  their  white  teeth  from 
ear  to  ear. 

Then  Timothy  Tuttle  heard  something  squeak 
close  to  his  head,  and  saw  one  of  the  little  crea- 
tures sitting  on  the  arm  of  the  sofa  and  mowing 
at  him. 

"Don't  be  afraid,  Timothy,  it's  only  I!"  it 
squeaked. 

"Who  on  earth  are  you,"  asked  Timothy,  "and 
what  do  you  want?" 

This  question  seemed  to  amuse  all  the  little  fel- 
lows hugely,  for  they  began  to  bow  again,  grinning 
and  capering  in  fine  style,  and  crying  out :  — 

"How  do  you  do,  Timothy?" 

"We  are  very  glad  to  see  you,  Timothy!" 

"Don't  be  afraid,  Timothy,  we're  all  here!" 

"I  am  glad  of  that!"  exclaimed  Timothy;  "I'm 
glad  that  there  are  no  more  of  you!" 

"Plenty  more!  Plenty  more,  Timothy!"  they 
cried,  laughing  and  holding  their  sides.  "But 
we'll  do,  Timothy!  We'll  do!  Oh,  yes,  we'll  do! 
We'll  do!" 


BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

Timothy  Tuttle  was  no  coward,  but  he  could 
not  help  feeling  somewhat  frightened  as  he  looked 
at  their  antics;  and  he  gazed  around  to  see  where 
they  could  have  come  in.  The  door  was  locked, 
and  only  the  window  was  open. 

"What  do  you  want?  Go  away!  Go  away!" 
he  cried,  in  a  husky  voice. 

The  little  Imps  grinned  all  the  more. 

"Dee-lighted  to  see  you,  Timothy!" 

"Flattering  reception,  Timothy!" 

"We'll  be  happy  to  stay,  Timothy!" 

And  with  that  they  began  to  bow  again  with 
great  politeness. 

Timothy  looked  about  for  some  weapon  of  de- 
fence, but  saw  nothing  within  reach. 

"What  do  you  want?"  he  demanded  again. 

"Want  you,  Timothy!" 

"Must  come  with  us,  Timothy!" 

"Where  to?"  he  demanded. 

At  that  all  the  little  Imps  pointed  over  their 
shoulders  with  their  thumbs,  to  the  open  window. 

Timothy  reflected  that,  as  he  was  in  the  second 
story  of  the  house,  any  attempt  to  go  out  by  the 
window,  without  wings,  would  be  preposterous. 
He  drew  his  hand  across  his  eyes  to  make  sure 
that  he  was  not  asleep;  then  he  looked  again,  and 
there  were  all  the  little  Imps  bowing  more  po- 
litely than  ever.  He  seized  a  pillow,  and  was 
about  to  throw  it  at  them,  when  they  flew  at 


TIMOTHY  TUTTLE  293 

him,  dragged  the  pillow  out  of  his  hands,  over- 
powered him,  and  picking  him  up  by  the  arms  and 
legs,  flew  out  of  the  window,  carrying  him  off 
bodily. 

How  far  he  was  carried  Timothy  Tuttle  never 
knew,  but  it  seemed  to  him  a  very  long  distance. 
When  he  found  himself  again  at  liberty,  he  was 
lying  on  the  bare  ground  in  the  cold  moonlight. 
He  sprang  up,  and  saw  all  the  little  Imps  standing 
in  a  circle  around  him,  bowing  and  nodding  with 
great  good-humour. 

He  looked  about.  He  found  himself  on  an 
open  plain,  surrounded  by  forests.  Nothing  was 
in  sight  except  a  very  large  Gothic  building  in  the 
centre  of  the  plain.  It  was  old,  but  a  larger  and 
more  magnificent  building  Timothy  had  never 
seen.  Its  pointed  roof  rose  to  the  skies,  and 
stained-glass  windows  adorned  its  gray  stone 
walls.  The  turrets  and  towers  were  beautifully 
carved,  and  the  walls  were  hung  here  and  there 
with  green  ivy.  But  the  building  was  falling  into 
decay.  Some  of  the  windows  were  broken,  and 
some  of  the  stones  crumbling  to  ruin.  A  few  of 
the  arches  were  fallen,  and  the  roof  threatened 
to  cave  in.  l 

Timothy  Tuttle  turned  from  surveying  this 
building,  to  look  at  his  grinning  companions. 

"You're  wanted,  Timothy!"  cried  one. 

"Where?"  he  asked  hoarsely. 


294    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

They  all  pointed  over  their  shoulders  with 
their  thumbs  at  the  great  door  of  the  building. 

"But  what  if  I  will  not  go?"  he  asked,  in  as 
cool  and  determined  a  voice  as  he  could  assume. 

At  this  all  the  little  Imps  began  to  caper  about 
in  great  glee,  singing:  — 

"Mortals  rash 
Who  disobey, 
Little  Imps 
Will  bear  away  I 
If  they  still 
Refuse  to  go. 
If  they  dare 
To  answer,  'No!' 
Take  a  pin. 
And  stick  it  in!" 

At  that  instant  Timothy  Tuttle  felt  a  sharp  pain 
in  one  of  his  legs,  and  he  could  not  help  crying  out. 
He  knew  that  there  was  nothing  to  do  but  to 
obey,  so  he  turned  and  walked  toward  the  build- 
ing, while  the  quick  patter  of  tiny  feet  and  the 
flutter  of  wings  told  him  that  the  little  Imps  were 
close  behind. 

Only  once  did  he  turn  his  head,  and  his  ears 
were  greeted  with:  — 

"Oh,  yes,  Timothy!  We're  all  here!" 

When  Timothy  had  entered  the  door,  he  found 
that  the  interior  of  the  building  was  one  great 
room.  Around  its  sides  were  galleries  rising  tier 
above  tier,  and  under  the  galleries  were  recesses 
and  alcoves;  still,  it  was  all  one  room. 


TIMOTHY  TUTTLE  295 

From  the  centre  of  the  arched  ceiling  hung  a 
splendid  chandelier,  with  a  thousand  lamps.  JBut 
most  of  the  lights  were  extinguished,  and  the  few 
that  were  burning,  flickered  and  smoked  so  badly 
that  the  building  was  dimly  lighted. 

When  Timothy  first  entered,  his  ears  were 
filled  with  a  hissing  and  fluttering  sound,  and 
after  he  had  been  there  long  enough  to  become 
used  to  the  dim  light,  he  saw  that  the  whole  build- 
ing was  full  of  just  such  little  Imps  as  had  brought 
him  hither.  They  were  flying  up  and  down,  and 
flitting  to  and  fro,  and  seemed  very  busy.  Look- 
ing up,  he  saw  four  or  five  large  windows  through 
which  some  appeared  to  fly  away,  while  others 
would  dart  through  into  the  building  with  great 
swiftness,  just  as  bees  come  and  go  from  the  hive. 
But  the  most  astonishing  part  of  it  all  was  their 
extraordinary  politeness  to  Timothy,  and  the 
grinning  that  showed  on  all  sides  as  he  entered. 

Now,  as  we  have  said  before,  Timothy  Tuttle 
was  no  coward,  and,  stepping  up  to  one  of  the 
little  Imps  who  had  just  flown  in,  he  said :  — 

"You  seem  to  know  me." 

"Oh,  yes,  Timothy!"  replied  the  little  fellow, 
nodding  violently.  "Yes!  I  know  you!  I  know 
you!" 

"Well,  where  do  you  all  go  to  out  those  win- 
dows? And  where  do  you  come  from?" 

"Oh,  I've  just  been  to  China!" 


296    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

Timothy  looked  as  if  he  did  not  believe  him. 

"Yes,  I've  just  been  to  the  China  seas,  on 
board  your  ships,  and  I  have  been  counting  your 
wealth."  And  the  little  wretch  winked  fast  and 
knowingly. 

Timothy  was  dumb.  He  remembered  what  he 
had  been  thinking  when  he  fell  asleep. 

His  grinning  companion  left  him,  and  he  wan- 
dered about  the  great  edifice,  where  he  saw  a 
large  number  of  little  Imps  busily  at  work.  Some 
were  painting  the  wall  with  small  brushes.  It  was 
amazing  to  see  how  rapidly  they  could  sketch  a 
picture. 

Timothy  watched  them  for  a  moment,  and 
fairly  held  his  breath  when  he  saw  one  by  one 
past  scenes  of  his  own  life  start  out  upon  the 
wall.  Many  of  the  scenes  he  had  thought  that 
no  one  knew  of  but  himself.  But  here  one  or  an- 
other of  his  deeds,  good  and  bad,  was  drawn  to 
the  very  life  upon  the  wall !  And  as  they  worked, 
the  little  fellows  grinned  and  sang,  but  Tim- 
othy could  not  understand  what  they  said. 

Timothy  turned  away  from  these  grinning 
little  creatures,  and  moved  to  where  another 
group  were  sketching  other  pictures.  He  was  al- 
most afraid  to  look  at  the  pictures,  but  when  he 
did  so,  he  saw  that  the  painters  were  making 
designs  too  ugly  and  horrid  to  look  at.  But  Tim- 
othy was  perplexed,  for  of  all  the  pictures  there 


TIMOTHY  TUTTLE  297 

was  none  that  he  did  not  think  he  had  seen  some- 
where before.  And  these  little  Imps  were  singing 
the  same  song  that  the  others  were  singing,  and 
Timothy  thought  that  he  caught  the  refrain:  — 

"  Bad  little, 
Sad  little, 
Mad  little 

Thoughts!'9 

Here  he  turned  to  look  into  the  recesses  and 
alcoves  under  the  galleries.  Not  all  the  inhabit- 
ants of  the  edifice  were  like  the  little  creatures 
who  had  brought  him  hither.  Oh,  no!  In  the 
shadows  of  the  great  pillars  there  lurked  and 
crawled  great  slimy  things  that  made  one  shud- 
der to  see.  Enormous  spiders,  larger  than  any 
Timothy  had  ever  dreamed  of,  ran  swiftly  across 
the  floor.  Centipedes  and  lizards  clung  to  the 
mouldy  walls,  and  cold,  slippery  serpents  glided 
noiselessly  along.  Occasionally  he  came  upon 
huge  shapeless  creatures  who  lay  curled  upon  the 
floor,  staring  at  him  with  watery  eyes. 

Timothy  hastily  picked  his  way  out  into  the 
light  again.  Here  he  found  other  groups  of 
painters.  One  group  was  using  brighter  colours 
and  blending  them  beautifully.  But  he  could 
scarcely  believe  his  own  eyes  when  he  saw  the 
picture  of  the  fine  mansion  he  was  planning,  and 
the  images  of  a  thousand  other  things  he  had 
wished  and  hoped  for. 


298    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAERIES 

But  the  painters  in  the  next  group  were  acting 
very  strangely.  They  touched  their  brushes  to 
the  wall  hastily  and  tremblingly,  glancing  over 
their  shoulders  as  if  in  terror.  And  though  their 
pictures  did  not  assume  any  definite  form,  Tim- 
othy felt  most  uneasy.  There  he  saw  the  dim 
outline  of  another  world  of  which  he  had  heard, 
but  had  forgotten  to  think  of  for  many  years. 

Meanwhile  Timothy  had  reached  the  upper 
end  of  the  room,  and  found  himself  close  to  a 
great  curtain  tightly  drawn.  On  either  side  of 
it  he  beheld  a  marble  basin.  One  of  the  basins 
had  evidently  contained  a  fountain,  but  it  was 
now  half  choked  with  mud,  and  only  a  little  water 
oozed  out  of  it.  On  looking  into  the  other,  he 
was  astonished  to  find  it  full  of  liquid  fire. 

Just  then  he  heard  behind  the  curtain  the 
sound  as  of  a  mighty  rushing  wind,  and  at  the 
same  moment  the  two  fountains  boiled  up  and 
cast  out  their  dirt,  and  this  they  continued  to 
do  until  each  basin  was  brimming  full,  one  of 
pure  water  and  the  other  of  pure  fire. 

The  little  Imps,  too,  heard  the  sound.  At  first 
they  were  awed  and  hushed;  then  they  began  to 
fly  about  in  confusion  until  Timothy  was  bewil- 
dered by  the  noise  and  movement. 

Suddenly  the  curtain  was  parted,  and  Tim- 
othy saw  a  stately  Lady  seated  upon  a  throne 
in  a  noble  arched  recess.    Her  head  was  thrown 


TIMOTHY  TUTTLE  299 

back,  her  eyes  flashed,  and  in  her  hand  she 
held  a  scourge  every  thong  of  which  seemed 
to  writhe  and  twist  and  end  in  little  snappers 
of  fire. 

At  the  sight  of  this  scourge  and  the  frown  on 
the  Lady's  face,  all  the  little  Imps  began  to  howl 
dismally.  The  Lady  arose,  and  came  down  from 
her  throne  into  the  centre  of  the  room,  and  the 
little  Imps  fled  before  her.  But  they  could  not 
escape.  Seizing  the  first  one  she  met,  she  plunged 
him  several  times  into  the  basin  of  water.  Then 
taking  him  out,  she  carried  him  kicking  and 
quivering  to  the  other  basin,  and  plunged  him 
into  the  fire.  Timothy  stood  horror-stricken.  He 
leaned  against  a  pillar  to  support  himself,  but 
what  was  his  astonishment  to  see  the  Lady  take 
the  little  fellow  out  of  the  basin,  and  release  him; 
and  he  ran  away  unharmed.  But  a  strange  thing 
had  happened.  The  little  Imp  was  no  longer  so 
black,  and  instead  of  grinning  maliciously,  he 
was  now  smiling  as  pleasantly  as  possible. 

The  Lady  seized  every  little  Imp  in  the  room, 
in  the  same  manner,  and  plunged  him  into  both 
basins.  Then  she  collected  troops  of  the  Imps, 
and  drove  them  before  her  with  the  fiery  scourge. 
She  made  them  begin  to  scrape  the  dirt  off  the 
floor,  and  down  from  the  walls,  to  repair  the  bro- 
ken places  in  the  roof,  and  to  polish  the  rusty 
and  musty  spots.  And  all  the  rubbish  she  made 


300    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

them  throw  into  the  basin  full  of  pure  fire.  Some- 
times two  or  three  little  Imps  would  carry  one  of 
the  great  slimy  reptiles,  and  drop  him  in,  and  all 
those  thus  dropped  into  the  fire  never  came  out 
again. 

And  as  the  little  Imps  worked,  they  broke  into 
a  song:  — 

"All  the  rubbish 

Thither  take  ! 

Little  whip 

Will  make  us  ache  I 

Tug!  Tug! 

The  big  bug, 

Spider  foul, 

And  slimy  thing. 

In  the  fire. 

Lightly  fling! 

"Rub!  Rub! 
Off  the  rust! 
Sweep!  Sweep! 
Away  the  dust! 
Sparkle!  Sparkle! 
Precious  stone. 
Pearly  roof, 
And  ivory  throne  ! 

" Oh,  dear!  dear!  dear! 
Hear  the  fiery  lashes  crack  ! 
On  each  little  lazy  back  ! 
Hear  the  glowing  basin  boil ! 
Little  Imps  must  burn  or  toil!** 

Timothy  watched  and  listened  until  he  became 
very  weary;  then  he  stretched  himself  out  on  the 
floor  and  fell  asleep. 


TIMOTHY  TUTTLE  301 

When  he  awoke,  he  found  himself  lying  in  a 
dazzling  light.  How  long  he  had  been  asleep  he 
did  not  know.  He  sprang  to  his  feet  with  an 
agility  and  ease  that  he  had  never  felt  before.  He 
looked  about  him.  There  was  still  the  same  great 
room,  the  same  chandelier  with  its  thousand 
lamps,  the  same  pattering  of  little  feet  and  rustling 
of  wings !   But,  oh,  how  changed !  How  changed ! 

The  arched  roof  was  composed  of  transparent 
pearl,  delicately  carved,  and  fretted  with  lines 
of  brilliant  rose-diamonds.  Pendants  hung  from 
the  arches,  formed  of  great  diamonds  and  pearls 
cut  into  exquisite  shapes.  The  walls  were  of  ruby 
and  topaz,  and  sparkled  with  mosaics  of  precious 
gems,  representing  scenes  more  beautiful  than 
any  ever  seen  on  earth.  The  huge  pillars  were  of 
jasper  and  around  them  was  twined  the  graceful 
immortal  amaranth.  The  floor  was  of  coloured 
marble,  inlaid  with  onyx  and  amethyst. 

In  the  noble  recess  at  the  end  of  the  room,  sat 
the  Lady  on  a  throne  carved  from  ivory  and 
studded  with  diamonds.  Her  scourge  and  frown 
had  disappeared,  and  from  her  smiling  counte- 
nance shone  a  divine  beauty. 

The  chandelier,  every  lamp  of  which  was  now 
pouring  out  a  silver  light,  sent  a  glowing  radi- 
ance into  the  farthest  corners  and  recesses  under 
the  galleries,  and  revealed  no  signs  of  stain  or 
shadow.    The  basins  threw  high  their  spray  of 


302    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

sparkling  water  and  pure  fire,  looking  like  foun- 
tains of  liquid  light,  which  fell  back  again  with 
the  softest  music. 

But  the  greatest  change  of  all  was  in  the  little 
Imps.  They  were  each  and  all  of  a  purer  trans- 
parency of  white  than  anything  Timothy  had 
ever  conceived.  And  there  was  not  one  upon 
whose  face  did  not  play  a  smile  of  joy.  Some  of 
them  were  working  harder  than  ever,  while  others 
were  bathing  in  the  fountains,  darting  and  flut- 
tering in  and  out  of  the  spray.  They  looked  as 
light  and  brilliant  as  soap-bubbles  in  the  sun, 
and  flashing  from  their  wings  were  all  the  colours 
of  the  rainbow.  Indeed,  the  little  Imps  shone  so 
brightly  that  Timothy  could  scarcely  look  at  them. 

But  while  he  was  examining  all  these  wonder- 
ful changes  with  admiration,  he  heard  a  silver 
trumpet  ring  through  the  edifice.  And  as  its 
sweet  notes  died  away  among  the  pearl  arches, 
the  little  Imps  with  myriad  voices,  as  sweet  and 
clear  as  the  trumpet-call,  sang:  — 

"  Lightly  we  rise 
In  the  azure  skies  1 
Lightly  we  dart  away  ! 
Lightly  we  roam 
Through  the  boundless  dome  ! 
Or  in  pathless  depths  we  stray  ! 

Bright  littlet 

White  little. 

Light  little 

Thouglitsl 


TIMOTHY  TUTTLE  303 

"  When  we  would  try 
How  high  we  can  fly, 
When  we  would  gaze 
On  His  brightest  rays, 
When  through  glory  we  range. 
In  colours  strange, 
Lightly  we  turn  to  God  ! 

There  hide! 

There  abide  ! 

Bright  little, 

White  little, 

Light  little 

Thoughts!" 

Then  the  most  amazing  thing  of  all  happened. 
Timothy  Tuttle,  Esquire,  suddenly  found  him- 
self lying  once  more  on  the  soft,  comfortable  sofa 
in  his  own  home.  The  gas-light  was  flashing  over 
the  rich  rug  and  rosewood  furniture,  just  as  it 
had  done  when  he  had  last  seen  the  room.  He 
raised  himself  on  his  elbow  and  looked  around, 
but  not  one  of  the  little  Imps  was  there.  Indeed, 
he  could  find  no  traces  of  them  except  the  marks 
of  their  tiny  black  feet  on  the  rug. 

But  from  that  day  forward  Timothy  was  a 
changed  man.  His  face  was  no  longer  hard 
and  selfish,  but  it  beamed  with  good  and  kind 
thoughts.  He  no  longer  preferred  wealth  to 
everything  else  in  the  world.  He  gave  up  the 
plan  for  his  fine  new  mansion  —  indeed,  he  no 
longer  wished  for  one  —  and  he  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  days  making  his  family  and 
friends  happy,  and  relieving  the  poor  and  needy. 

Dr.  John  Todd  (Adapted) 


BUTTERFLY'S  DIAMOND 

Once  upon  a  time  there  was  a  little  Fairy  who 
was  remarkable  for  her  impatience  and  laziness. 
She  was  called  Fairy  Butterfly  because  she  had 
such  splendid  green  wings  with  silver  spots  on 
them.  She  loved  dearly  to  be  dressed  in  gorgeous 
colours,  and  to  sleep  in  the  rich  chambers  of  the 
Foxgloves,  or  to  flutter  over  beds  of  fragrant 
Mignonette.  In  truth,  she  was  as  luxurious  a 
little  Fairy  as  the  sun  ever  shone  on.  So  much 
did  she  like  her  ease  that  she  would  not  gather  a 
single  dew-drop  to  bathe  her  face,  nor  would 
she  pick  a  fresh  rose-petal  for  a  napkin.  She 
played  all  day  long,  or  slept  curled  up  in  the  heart 
of  a  flower.   Oh,  she  was  a  lazy  Fairy! 

When  the  Queen  of  the  Fairies  observed  the 
faults  of  Butterfly,  she  resolved  to  help  her  to 
correct  them.  One  day  she  summoned  the  lazy 
one  to  Court,  and  said :  — 

"  Fairy  Butterfly,  we  command  you  to  go  at 
once  to  the  Green  Cavern  in  the  Island  of  Cey- 
lon, and  remain  there  until  you  have  fashioned 
a  diamond  more  pure  and  brilliant  than  any  that 
has  ever  rested  on  the  brow  of  mortal  or  Elf." 

Little  Butterfly  bowed  in  silence  and  with- 
drew.   As  soon  as  she  was  outside  the  green 


BUTTERFLY'S  DIAMOND         305 

mound  in  which  the  Fairy  Queen  held  her  Court, 
she  burst  into  a  passionate  flood  of  tears. 

"I  shall  have  to  watch  that  diamond  for 
months  and  months  and  years  and  years," 
sobbed  she,  "and  every  day  I  must  turn  it  over 
with  my  wand  so  that  the  crystals  will  form 
evenly!  Oh,  it  is  an  endless  labour  to  make  a 
diamond!  Oh,  I  am  a  most  wretched  Fairy!" 

So  she  sat,  and  sobbed,  and  murmured  for 
several  minutes.  Then  she  jumped  up  and 
stamped  her  little  feet  on  the  ground  so  furiously 
that  the  blue-eyed  grasses  trembled. 

"I  won't  bear  it!"  she  exclaimed.  "I'll  run 
away  to  the  Fairies  of  the  Air.  I  am  sure  they 
will  be  so  pleased  with  my  beauty  that  they  will 
feed  me,  and  I  shall  never  need  to  work  again !  As 
for  the  diamond,  why,  it  is  just  impossible  for  a 
little  Fairy  like  me  to  make  it!" 

Then  she  peeped  into  a  fountain  to  admire 
herself,  and  saw,  alas!  that  the  splendid  green  of 
her  wings  had  faded,  and  the  silver  spots  were 
dim.  For,  if  Fairies  have  naughty  thoughts, 
their  wings  always  droop  and  their  beauty  fades. 
At  this  sight,  little  Butterfly  wept  aloud  with 
vexation  and  shame. 

"I  suppose  the  old  tyrant,  our  Queen,  thinks 
that  now  I  am  so  ugly,  I'll  hide  myself  in  the 
Green  Cavern  in  the  Island  of  Ceylon!  But  I'll 
let  her  see  that  I  do  not  care  about  her!"  And, 


306    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

alas !  as  Butterfly  spoke  thus,  the  silver  spots  dis- 
appeared entirely,  and  her  wings  became  a  dirty 
brown. 

Trembling  with  anger,  the  little  one  waved  her 
wand,  and  called:  — 

"Hummingbird!  Hummingbird! 
Come  nigh!  Come  nigh! 
And  carry  me  off 
To  the  far  Blue  Sky!" 

In  an  instant  a  tiny  hummingbird,  shining  like 
a  jewel,  alighted  at  her  feet.  She  sprang  on  his 
back,  and  away  they  flew  to  the  golden  clouds  in 
the  West  where  the  Queen  of  the  Air  Fairies 
held  her  Court.  And  when  the  Queen  and  all 
her  Fairies  saw  Butterfly's  dirty  brown  wings, 
they  waved  their  wands  and  vanished.  And  little 
Butterfly  was  left  alone  in  the  Palace  of  the  Air. 

But  such  a  beautiful  palace  as  it  was!  The 
clouds  hung  around  it  like  transparent  curtains 
of  opal.  The  floor  was  paved  with  a  rainbow. 
Thousands  of  gorgeous  birds  fluttered  in  the  sun- 
light, and  a  multitude  of  voices  filled  the  place 
with  sweet  sounds.  Butterfly,  fatigued  by  her 
flight  through  the  sky  and  lulled  by  the  voices, 
lay  down  on  a  rosy  cloud,  and  fell  into  a  gentle 
slumber. 

When  she  awoke,  she  saw  that  a  tiny  bird, 
smaller  than  the  hummingbird,  was  building  a 
nest  beside  her.    Straw  after  straw,  shred  after 


BUTTERFLY'S  DIAMOND  307 

shred,  the  patient  little  creature  brought  in  her 
bill  and  wove  together.  And  then  she  flew  away 
over  hills  and  fields  to  find  soft  down  with  which 
to  line  the  nest. 

"She  is  a  foolish  thing!"  murmured  Butterfly. 
"How  hard  she  works,  and  I  don't  believe  that 
she  will  finish  it  after  all!" 

But  soon  the  bird  came  back  with  her  bill  full 
of  down,  and  lined  the  soft  warm  nest  so  that 
it  was  fit  for  a  Fairy  to  sleep  in.  Butterfly 
peeped  into  it,  and  exclaimed,  "Oh,  what  a  pretty 
thing!" 

Immediately  she  heard  the  tinkling  of  a  lute, 
and  a  clear  voice  singing:  — 

"Bit  by  bit  the  bird  builds  her  nest!** 

She  started  up,  and  the  Queen  of  the  Air 
Fairies  stood  before  her,  clad  in  a  robe  of  azure 
gossamer,  embroidered  with  rainbow  lights. 

"Foolish  Butterfly,"  said  she,  "we  allow  no 
idlers  here.  Obey  your  Queen,  and  go  at  once  to 
the  Green  Cavern  in  the  Island  of  Ceylon.  Time 
and  patience  will  accomplish  all  things.  Go  and 
make  your  diamond,  and  then  you  shall  be  wel- 
come here."  Butterfly  tried  to  tell  her  how  very 
hard  it  was  to  make  a  diamond,  but  the  Queen 
of  the  Air  Fairies  flew  away,  touching  her  lute, 
and  singing:  — 

"Bit  by  bit  the  bird  builds  her  nest!** 


308    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

Butterfly  leaned  her  head  upon  her  hands  for 
a  minute.  She  began  to  be  ashamed  of  being  so 
lazy,  but  she  did  not  yet  wish  to  go  to  the  lonely 
Green  Cavern,  and  work  hard.  So  she  waved  her 
wand,  and  called  again :  — 

"Hummingbird!   Hummingbird! 
Come  nigh!  Come  nigh! 
And  carry  me  back 
Through  the  clear  Blue  Sky!'* 

Immediately  the  little  hummingbird  returned, 
and  she  sprang  on  his  back.  He  flew  down  with 
her,  and  she  alighted  near  the  green  mound  in- 
side of  which  the  Fairy  Queen  held  her  Court. 

Close  by  the  mound  Butterfly  saw  some  bees 
working  in  a  crystal  hive.  Wearily  and  sadly  she 
watched  them.  They  left  the  hive,  dipped  into 
flowers,  and  carried  their  loads  of  sweet  pollen 
back  to  the  hive,  and  there  they  built  their  wax 
combs  filled  with  golden  honey.  "I  wish," 
thought  she,  "that  I  loved  to  work  as  hard  as 
the  bees  do!  But  as  for  that  diamond,  it  is  use- 
less to  think  about  it!  I  should  never  finish  it!" 

Just  then  she  heard  strains  of  delightful  music 
coming  from  the  mound,  and  a  chorus  of  Fairy 
voices  singing:  — 

"Little  by  little  the  bee  builds  its  cell!  " 

Butterfly  could  have  wept  when  she  heard 
those  familiar  voices,  for  she  longed  to  be  with 
her  Fairy  sisters  dancing  hand-in-hand.    "I  will 


BUTTERFLY'S  DIAMOND  309 

make  the  diamond,"  murmured  she.  "I  shall 
surely  get  it  done  sometime!  And  I  can  fly  home 
every  night  and  dance  in  the  Fairy  Ring,  or  sleep 
in  the  flowers ! " 

Immediately  a  joyful  strain  of  music  rose  on 
the  air,  and  she  heard  her  sisters'  voices  sing- 
ing:— 

"To  the  Green  Cavern  haste  away! 
Sleep  by  night,  and  work  by  day! 
Little  by  little  the  gem  will  grow, 
Till  pure  as  sunshine  it  will  glow!" 

Alas!  when  Butterfly  heard  this,  instead  of 
flying  at  once  to  the  Green  Cavern,  she  began 
to  think  how  hard  she  should  have  to  work,  and 
how  many  times  she  must  turn  the  diamond.  "I 
never  can  do  it!"  thought  she.  "I  will  go  to  the 
Queen  of  the  Ocean  Fairies.  I  am  sure  she  will 
let  me  live  in  her  Sea-Palace;  and  I  need  never 
work  again!" 

Mournful   notes   came   from   the  mound,   as 

Butterfly  turned  toward  the  seashore.   When  she 

reached  the  beach,  she  waved  her  wand,  and 

called :  — 

"Nautilus!  Nautilus! 
Come  to  me 
And  carry  me  through 
The  cold  green  Sea!" 

Immediately  the  delicate  pearly  boat  of  the 
nautilus  came  floating  over  the  Ocean,  and  a 
wave  landed  it  at  Butterfly's  feet.  She  stepped  in, 


310    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

and  down,  down,  under  the  waves  she  went,  down 
to  the  bed  of  the  Ocean,  to  a  coral  grove.  And 
there  was  the  magnificent  palace  of  the  Queen 
of  the  Ocean  Fairies.  Its  pink  coral  pillars  were 
twisted  into  a  thousand  beautiful  forms.  Pearls 
hung  in  deep  festoons  from  the  arches.  The  fan- 
coral  and  the  sea-moss  were  formed  into  deep, 
cool  bowers.  And  the  hard,  sandy  floor  was  cov- 
ered with  many-coloured  shells. 

But  as  it  had  been  in  the  Air,  so  it  was  in  the 
Sea!  When  the  Queen  of  the  Ocean  Fairies  saw 
Butterfly's  dirty  brown  wings,  she  and  all  her 
Court  waved  their  wands  and  disappeared.  And 
Butterfly  was  left  alone  in  the  Sea-Palace. 

"How  beautiful  it  is!"  cried  she.  "Giants 
must  have  made  these  coral  pillars!"  As  she 
spoke  her  eyes  were  nearly  blinded  by  a  swarm  of 
tiny  insects,  and  she  saw  them  rest  on  an  unfin- 
ished coral  pillar.  While  she  looked  and  won- 
dered, she  heard  a  thousand  shell-trumpets  being 
blown,  and  many  voices  singing:  — 

"Mite  by  mite  the  insect  builds  the  coral  bower!'1 

The  sounds  drew  nearer  and  nearer,  and  a  hun- 
dred Fairies,  standing  in  beautiful  shells,  came 
floating  through  the  water.  In  the  largest  shell 
of  all  was  their  Queen  in  a  robe  of  wave-coloured 
silk  spun  by  the  Ocean  silkworm.  It  was  as  thin 
as  a  spider's  web,  and  the  border  was  gracefully 
wrought  with  seed  pearls. 


BUTTERFLY'S  DIAMOND  311 

"Foolish  Butterfly,"  said  the  Queen,  "learn 
to  be  industrious.  We  allow  no  idlers  at  our 
Court.  Look  at  the  coral  pillars  of  my  palace. 
They  were  made  by  these  swarms  of  little  crea- 
tures. Labour  and  patience  did  it  all." 

And  she  waved  her  wand,  and  the  hundred 
shells  floated  away,  while  all  the  Fairies  sang:  — 
"Mite  by  mite  the  insect  builds  the  coral  bower!" 

"Well!"  said  Butterfly,  sighing.  "All  crea- 
tures are  busy,  on  the  earth,  in  the  air,  and  under 
the  water.  All  things  seem  happy  at  their  work. 
Perhaps  I  can  learn  to  be  so,  too.  I  will  make  the 
diamond.  And  it  shall  be  as  pure  and  brilliant  as 
a  sunbeam  in  a  water-drop!" 

So  Butterfly  sought  the  Green  Cavern  in  the 
Island  of  Ceylon.  Day  by  day  she  worked  as 
busily  as  the  coral  insects.  She  grew  cheerful 
and  happy.  Her  wings  once  more  became  a 
splendid  green,  and  the  silver  spots  were  so 
bright  that  they  seemed  like  sparks  of  fire.  Never 
had  she  been  so  beautiful,  never  so  much  loved 
by  the  little  birds  and  flowers. 

After  seven  years  had  passed  by,  Butterfly 
knelt  at  the  feet  of  her  Queen  and  offered  her 
diamond.  It  gave  light  like  a  star,  and  the  whole 
Fairy  Mound  shone  with  its  rays.  And  to  this 
day  the  Fairies  call  it  "Butterfly's  Diamond." 
Lydia  Maria  Child  (Adapted) 


LITTLE  NIEBLA 

Have  you  seen  the  white  mist  over  the  River 
Yi  in  the  morning  —  a  light  white  mist  that  flies 
away  when  the  sun  gets  hot?  Yes?  Then  I  will 
tell  you  a  story  about  the  white  mist  and  a  little 
girl  named  Alma. 

Little  Alma  lived  close  to  the  River  Yi,  but 
far,  far  from  here,  beyond  the  trees  and  beyond 
the  blue  hills,  for  the  Yi  is  a  very  long  river.  She 
lived  with  her  grandmother  and  with  six  uncles, 
all  big,  tall  men  with  long  beards,  and  they  always 
talked  about  wars,  and  cattle,  and  a  great  many 
other  important  things  that  Alma  could  not 
understand.  There  was  no  one  to  talk  to  Alma 
and  for  Alma  to  talk  to  or  to  play  with.  And 
when  she  went  out  of  the  house  where  all  the  big 
people  were  talking,  she  heard  the  cocks  crow- 
ing, the  dogs  barking,  the  birds  singing,  the  sheep 
bleating,  and  the  trees  rustling  their  leaves  over 
her  head,  and  she  could  not  understand  one  word 
of  all  they  said.  At  last,  having  no  one  to  play 
with  or  talk  to,  she  sat  down  and  began  to  cry. 

Now,  it  happened  that  near  the  spot  where  she 
sat  there  was  an  old  black  woman  wearing  a  red 
shawl,  who  was  gathering  sticks  for  the  fire,  and 
she  asked  Alma  why  she  cried. 


LITTLE  NIEBLA  313 

"Because  I  have  no  one  to  talk  to  and  play 
with,"  said  Alma. 

Then  the  old  black  woman  drew  a  long  brass 
pin  out  of  her  shawl,  and  pricked  Alma's  tongue 
with  it,  for  she  made  Alma  hold  it  out  to  be 
pricked. 

"Now,"  said  the  old  woman,  "you  can  go  and 
play  and  talk  with  the  dogs,  cats,  birds,  and 
trees,  for  you  will  understand  all  they  say,  and 
they  will  understand  all  you  say." 

Alma  was  very  glad,  and  ran  home  as  fast  as 
she  could  to  talk  to  the  cat. 

"Come,  cat,  let  us  talk  and  play  together," 
she  said. 

"Oh,  no,"  said  the  cat.  "I  am  very  busy 
watching  a  little  bird,  so  you  must  go  away  and 
play  with  little  Niebla  down  by  the  river." 

Then  the  cat  ran  away  among  the  weeds  and 
left  her.  The  dogs  also  refused  to  play  when  she 
went  to  them,  for  they  had  to  watch  the  house 
and  bark  at  strangers.  Then  they  also  told  her  to 
go  and  play  with  little  Niebla  down  by  the  river. 

Then  Alma  ran  out,  and  caught  a  little  duck- 
ling, a  soft  little  thing,  that  looked  like  a  ball  of 
yellow  cotton,  and  said:  "Now,  little  duck,  let 
us  talk  and  play." 

But  the  duckling  only  struggled  to  get  away, 
and  screamed:  "Oh,  Mamma!  Mamma!  Come 
and  take  me  away  from  Alma!" 


314    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

Then  the  old  duck  came  rushing  up,  and  said: 
"Alma,  let  my  child  alone;  and  if  you  want  to 
play,  go  and  play  with  Niebla  down  by  the  river. 
A  nice  thing  to  catch  my  duckie  in  your  hands 
—  what  next,  I  wonder!" 

So  she  let  the  duckling  go,  and  at  last  she  said, 
"Yes,  I  will  go  and  play  with  Niebla  down  by 
the  river." 

She  waited  till  she  saw  the  white  mist,  and 
then  ran  all  the  way  to  the  Yi,  and  stood  still  on 
the  green  bank  close  by  the  water  with  the  white 
mist  all  round  her. 

By  and  by  she  saw  a  beautiful  little  child  come 
flying  toward  her  in  the  white  mist.  The  child 
came  and  stood  on  the  green  bank,  and  looked  at 
Alma.  Very,  very  pretty  she  was;  and  she  wore 
a  white  dress  —  whiter  than  milk,  whiter  than 
foam,  and  all  embroidered  with  purple  flowers. 
She  had  also  white  silk  stockings  and  scarlet 
shoes,  bright  as  scarlet  verbenas.  Her  hair  was 
long  and  fluffy,  and  shone  like  gold,  and  round 
her  neck  she  had  a  string  of  big,  gold  beads. 

Then  Alma  said,  "Oh,  beautiful  little  girl,  what 
is  your  name?" 

To  which  the  little  girl  answered:  "Niebla." 

"Will  you  talk  to  me,  and  play  with  me?"  said 
Alma. 

"Oh,  no,"  said  Niebla;  "how  can  I  play  with  a 
little  girl  dressed  as  you  are,  and  with  bare  feet?  " 


LITTLE  NIEBLA  315 

For,  you  know,  poor  Alma  only  wore  a  little 
old  frock  that  came  down  to  her  knees,  and  she 
had  no  shoes  and  stockings  on. 

Then  little  Niebla  rose  up  and  floated  away, 
away  from  the  bank  and  down  the  river.  And 
at  last,  when  she  was  quite  out  of  sight  in  the 
white  mist,  Alma  began  to  cry.  When  it  got  very 
hot,  she  went  and  sat  down,  still  crying,  under 
the  trees.  There  were  two  very  big  willow  trees 
growing  near  the  river.  By  and  by  the  leaves 
rustled  in  the  wind,  and  the  trees  began  talking 
to  each  other,  and  Alma  understood  everything 
they  said. 

"Have  you  got  any  nests  in  your  branches?" 
said  one  tree. 

"Yes,  one,"  said  the  other  tree.  "It  was  made 
by  a  little  yellow  bird,  and  there  are  five  speckled 
eggs  in  it." 

Then  the  first  tree  said:  "There  is  little  Alma 
sitting  in  our  shade.  Do  you  know  why  she  is 
crying,  Neighbour?" 

The  other  tree  answered:  "Yes,  it  is  because 
she  has  no  one  to  play  with.  Little  Niebla  by 
the  river  refused  to  play  with  her  because  she  is 
not  beautifully  dressed." 

Then  the  first  tree  said:  "Ah,  she  ought  to  go 
and  ask  the  fox  for  some  pretty  clothes  to  wear. 
The  fox  always  keeps  a  great  store  of  pretty 
things  in  her  hole." 


316    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

Alma  had  listened  to  every  word  of  this  con- 
versation. She  remembered  that  a  fox  lived  on 
the  hillside  not  far  off;  for  she  had  often  seen  it 
sitting  in  the  sunshine,  with  its  little  ones  play- 
ing round  it  and  pulling  their  mother's  tail  in 
fun. 

So  Alma  got  up,  and  ran  till  she  found  the  hole, 
and  putting  her  head  down  it,  she  cried  out: 
"Fox!  Fox!" 

But  the  fox  seemed  cross,  and  only  answered, 
without  coming  out,  "Go  away,  Alma,  and  talk 
to  little  Niebla.  I  am  busy  getting  dinner  for 
my  children,  and  have  no  time  to  talk  to  you 
now." 

Then  Alma  cried:  "Oh,  Fox,  Niebla  will  not 
play  with  me  because  I  have  no  pretty  things 
to  wear!  Oh,  Fox,  will  you  give  me  a  nice 
dress,  and  shoes  and  stockings,  and  a  string  of 
beads?" 

After  a  little  while  the  fox  came  out  of  its  hole 
with  a  big  bundle  done  up  in  a  red  cotton  hand- 
kerchief, and  said:  "Here  are  the  things,  Alma, 
and  I  hope  they  will  fit  you.  But,  you  know, 
Alma,  you  really  ought  not  to  come  at  this  time 
of  day,  for  I  am  very  busy  just  now  cooking 
the  dinner  —  an  armadillo  roasted  and  a  couple 
of  partridges  stewed  with  rice,  and  a  little  ome- 
lette of  turkeys'  eggs  —  I  mean  plovers'  eggs, 
of  course;  I  never  touch  turkeys'  eggs." 


LITTLE  NIEBLA  317 

Alma  said  she  was  very  sorry  to  give  so  much 
trouble. 

"Oh,  never  mind,"  said  the  fox.  "How  is  your 
grandmother?  " 

"She  is  very  well,  thank  you,"  said  Alma,  "but 
she  has  a  bad  headache." 

"I  am  very  sorry  to  hear  it,"  said  the  fox. 
"Tell  her  to  stick  two  fresh  dock-leaves  on  her 
temples,  and  on  no  account  to  go  out  in  the  hot 
sun.  Give  her  my  best  respects.  And  now,  run 
home,  Alma,  and  try  on  the  things,  and  when 
you  are  passing  this  way,  you  can  bring  me  back 
the  handkerchief,  as  I  always  tie  my  face  up  in 
it  when  I  have  the  toothache." 

Alma  thanked  the  fox  very  much,  and  ran 
home  as  fast  as  she  could;  and  when  the  bundle 
was  opened  she  found  in  it  a  beautiful  white 
dress  embroidered  with  purple  flowers,  a  pair  of 
scarlet  shoes,  silk  stockings,  and  a  string  of  great 
golden  beads. 

They  all  fitted  her  very  well;  and  next  day, 
when  the  white  mist  was  on  the  Yi,  she  dressed 
herself  in  her  beautiful  clothes,  and  went  down 
to  the  river.  By  and  by  little  Niebla  came  flying 
along;  and  when  she  saw  Alma,  she  came  and 
kissed  her,  and  took  her  by  the  hand.  All  the 
morning  they  played  and  talked  together,  gath- 
ering flowers  and  running  races  over  the  green 
sward.   And,  at  last,  Niebla  bade  her  good-bye, 


318    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

and  flew  away,  for  all  the  white  mist  was  floating 
off  down  the  river. 

But  every  day  after  that,  Alma  found  her  little 
companion  by  the  Yi,  and  was  very  happy,  for 
now  she  had  some  one  to  talk  to  and  to  play 
with. 

W.  H.  Hudson  (Condensed) 


LITTLE  TINY 

There  was  once  a  woman  who  wished  very  much 
to  have  a  little  child;  so  she  went  to  a  Fairy,  and 
said:  "I  should  so  very  much  like  to  have  a  little 
child.  Can  you  tell  me  where  I  may  find  one?" 

"Oh,  that  is  easily  managed,"  said  the  Fairy. 
"Here  is  a  barley-corn  of  a  different  kind  to 
those  which  grow  in  the  farmers'  fields,  and  which 
the  chickens  eat.  Put  it  into  a  flower-pot,  and 
see  what  will  happen." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  the  woman,  and  she  gave 
the  Fairy  twelve  shillings,  which  was  the  price 
of  the  barley-corn.  Then  she  went  home  and 
planted  it,  and  immediately  there  grew  up  a 
large  handsome  flower,  something  like  a  tulip  in 
appearance,  but  with  its  leaves  tightly  closed  as 
if  it  was  still  a  bud. 

"It  is  a  beautiful  flower,"  said  the  woman, 
and  she  kissed  the  red  and  golden-coloured  leaves, 
and  while  she  did  so  the  flower  opened,  and  she 
could  see  that  it  was  a  real  tulip. 

Within  the  flower,  upon  the  green  velvet  sta- 
mens, sat  a  very  delicate  and  graceful  little 
maiden.  She  was  scarcely  half  as  long  as  a 
thumb,  and  they  gave  her  the  name  of  "Little 
Thumb,"  or  Tiny,  because  she  was  so  small.   A 


320    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

walnut-shell,  elegantly  polished,  served  her  for 
a  cradle.  Her  bed  was  formed  of  blue  violet- 
leaves,  with  a  rose-leaf  for  a  counterpane. 

Here  she  slept  at  night,  but  during  the  day 
she  amused  herself  on  a  table,  where  the  woman 
had  placed  a  plateful  of  water.  Round  this  plate 
were  wreaths  of  flowers  with  their  stems  in  the 
water,  and  upon  it  floated  a  large  tulip-leaf, 
which  served  Tiny  for  a  boat.  Here  the  little 
maiden  sat  and  rowed  herself  from  side  to  side, 
with  two  oars  made  of  white  horse-hair.  It  really 
was  a  very  pretty  sight.  Tiny  could,  also,  sing 
so  softly  and  sweetly  that  nothing  like  her  sing- 
ing had  ever  before  been  heard. 

One  night,  while  she  lay  in  her  pretty  bed,  a 
large,  ugly,  wet  toad  crept  through  a  broken 
pane  of  glass  in  the  window,  and  leaped  right 
up  on  the  table  where  Tiny  lay  sleeping  under  her 
rose-leaf  quilt. 

"What  a  pretty  little  wife  this  would  make 
for  my  son ! "  said  the  toad,  and  she  took  up  the 
walnut-shell  in  which  little  Tiny  lay  asleep,  and 
jumped  through  the  window  with  it  into  the 
garden. 

In  the  swampy  margin  of  a  broad  stream  in 
the  garden  lived  the  toad,  with  her  son.  He  was 
uglier  even  than  his  mother,  and  when  he  saw 
the  pretty  little  maiden  in  her  elegant  bed,  he 
could  only  cry:  "Croak,  croak,  croak." 


LITTLE  TINY  321 

"Don't  speak  so  loud,  or  she  will  wake,"  said 
the  toad,  "and  then  she  might  run  away,  for  she 
is  as  light  as  swan's  down.  We  will  place  her  on 
one  of  the  water-lily  leaves  out  in  the  stream.  It 
will  be  like  an  island  to  her,  she  is  so  light  and 
small,  and  then  she  cannot  escape.  And,  while 
she  is  away,  we  will  make  haste  and  prepare  the 
state-room  under  the  marsh,  in  which  you  are  to 
live  when  you  are  married." 

Far  out  in  the  stream  grew  a  number  of  water- 
lilies,  with  broad  green  leaves,  which  seemed  to 
float  on  the  top  of  the  water.  The  largest  of 
these  leaves  appeared  farther  off  than  the  rest, 
and  the  old  toad  swam  out  to  it  with  the  walnut- 
shell,  in  which  little  Tiny  lay  still  asleep. 

The  little  creature  woke  very  early  in  the 
morning,  and  began  to  cry  bitterly  when  she 
found  where  she  was,  for  she  could  see  nothing 
but  water  on  every  side  of  the  large  green  leaf, 
and  no  way  of  reaching  the  land. 

Meanwhile  the  old  toad  was  very  busy  under 
the  marsh,  decking  her  room  with  rushes  and  wild 
yellow  flowers,  to  make  it  look  pretty  for  her 
new  daughter-in-law.  Then  she  swam  out  with 
her  ugly  son  to  the  leaf  on  which  she  had  placed 
poor  little  Tiny.  She  wanted  to  fetch  the  pretty 
bed,  that  she  might  put  it  in  the  bridal  chamber 
to  be  ready  for  her. 

The  old  toad  bowed  low  to  her  in  the  water, 


322    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

and  said:  "Here  is  my  son.  He  will  be  your  hus- 
band, and  you  will  live  happily  together  in  the 
marsh  by  the  stream." 

"Croak,  croak,  croak"  was  all  her  son  could 
say  for  himself.  So  the  toad  took  up  the  elegant 
little  bed,  and  swam  away  with  it,  leaving  Tiny 
all  alone  on  the  green  leaf,  where  she  sat  and 
wept.  She  could  not  bear  to  think  of  living  with 
the  old  toad,  and  having  her  ugly  son  for  a  hus- 
band. 

The  little  fishes,  who  swam  about  in  the  water, 
had  seen  the  toad,  and  heard  what  she  said,  so 
they  lifted  their  heads  above  the  water  to  look 
at  the  little  maiden.  As  soon  as  they  caught  sight 
of  her,  they  saw  she  was  very  pretty,  and  it  made 
them  sorry  to  think  that  she  must  go  and  live 
with  the  ugly  toads.  "No,  it  must  never  be!" 
so  they  assembled  together  in  the  water,  round 
the  green  stalk  which  held  the  leaf  on  which  the 
little  maiden  stood,  and  gnawed  it  away  at  the 
root  with  their  teeth.  Then  the  leaf  floated 
down  the  stream,  carrying  Tiny  far  away. 

Tiny  sailed  past  many  towns,  and  the  little 
birds  in  the  bushes  saw  her,  and  sang:  "What  a 
lovely  little  creature!"  So  the  leaf  swam  away 
with  her  farther  and  farther,  till  it  brought  her 
to  other  lands.  A  graceful  little  white  butterfly 
constantly  fluttered  round  her,  and  at  last 
alighted  on  the  leaf.   Tiny  pleased  him,  and  she 


LITTLE  TINY  323 

was  glad  of  it,  for  now  the  toad  could  not  pos- 
sibly reach  her,  and  the  country  through  which 
she  sailed  was  beautiful,  and  the  sun  shone  upon 
the  water,  till  it  glittered  like  liquid  gold.  She 
took  off  her  girdle  and  tied  one  end  of  it  round 
the  butterfly,  and  the  other  end  of  the  ribbon  she 
fastened  to  the  leaf,  which  now  glided  on  much 
faster  than  ever,  taking  little  Tiny  with  it  as  she 
stood. 

Presently  a  large  cockchafer  flew  by.  The 
moment  he  caught  sight  of  her,  he  seized  her 
round  her  delicate  waist  with  his  claws,  and  flew 
with  her  into  a  tree.  The  green  leaf  floated  away 
on  the  brook,  and  the  butterfly  flew  with  it,  for 
he  was  fastened  to  it,  and  could  not  get  away. 

Oh,  how  frightened  little  Tiny  felt  when  the 
cockchafer  flew  with  her  to  the  tree!  But  es- 
pecially was  she  sorry  for  the  beautiful  white 
butterfly  which  she  had  fastened  to  the  leaf,  for 
if  he  could  not  free  himself  he  would  die  of  hun- 
ger. But  the  cockchafer  did  not  trouble  himself 
at  all  about  the  matter.  He  seated  himself  by 
her  side  on  a  large  green  leaf,  gave  her  some  honey 
from  the  flowers  to  eat,  and  told  her  she  was  very 
pretty,  though  not  in  the  least  like  a  cockchafer. 
After  a  time,  all  the  cockchafers  who  lived  in  the 
tree  came  to  visit  her.  They  stared  at  Tiny, 
and  then  the  young  lady-cockchafers  turned  up 
their  feelers,  and  said :  "  She  has  only  two  legs ! 


324    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

how  ugly  that  looks."  "  She  has  no  feelers,"  said 
another.  "Her  waist  is  quite  slim.  Pooh!  she  is 
like  a  human  being." 

"  Oh !  she  is  ugly ! "  said  all  the  lady-cockchafers, 
although  Tiny  was  very  pretty.  Then  the  cock- 
chafer who  had  run  away  with  her,  believed  all 
the  others  when  they  said  she  was  ugly,  and 
would  have  nothing  more  to  say  to  her,  and  told 
her  she  might  go  where  she  liked.  Then  he  flew 
down  with  her  from  the  tree,  and  placed  her 
on  a  daisy,  and  she  wept  at  the  thought  that  she 
was  so  ugly  that  even  the  cockchafers  would 
have  nothing  to  say  to  her.  And  all  the  while  she 
was  really  the  loveliest  creature  that  one  could 
imagine,  and  as  tender  and  delicate  as  a  beau- 
tiful rose-leaf! 

During  the  whole  summer  poor  little  Tiny 
lived  quite  alone  in  the  wide  forest.  She  wove 
herself  a  bed  with  blades  of  grass,  and  hung  it  up 
under  a  broad  leaf,  to  protect  herself  from  the 
rain.  She  sucked  the  honey  from  the  flowers  for 
food,  and  drank  the  dew  from  their  leaves  every 
morning.  So  passed  away  the  Summer  and  the 
Autumn,  and  then  came  the  Winter,  —  the  long, 
cold  Winter. 

All  the  birds  who  had  sung  to  her  so  sweetly 
were  flown  away,  and  the  trees  and  the  flowers 
had  withered.  The  large  clover  leaf  under  the 
shelter  of  which  she  had  lived,  was  now  rolled 


LITTLE  TINY  325 

together  and  shrivelled  up,  nothing  remained 
but  a  yellow  withered  stalk.  She  felt  dreadfully 
cold,  for  her  clothes  were  torn,  and  she  was  her- 
self so  frail  and  delicate,  that,  poor  little  thing, 
she  was  nearly  frozen  to  death !  It  began  to  snow 
too;  and  the  snow-flakes,  as  they  fell  upon  her, 
were  like  a  whole  shovelful  falling  upon  one  of 
us,  for  we  are  tall,  but  she  was  only  an  inch  high. 
Then  she  wrapped  herself  up  in  a  dry  leaf,  but 
it  cracked  in  the  middle  and  could  not  keep  her 
warm,  and  she  shivered  with  cold. 

Near  the  wood  in  which  she  had  been  living 
lay  a  large  corn-field,  but  the  corn  had  been  cut 
a  long  time;  nothing  remained  but  the  bare  dry 
stubble  standing  up  out  of  the  frozen  ground.  It 
was  to  her  like  struggling  through  a  large  wood. 
Oh!  how  she  shivered  with  the  cold.  She  came 
at  last  to  the  door  of  a  field-mouse,  who  had  a 
little  den  under  the  corn-stubble.  There  dwelt 
the  field-mouse  in  warmth  and  comfort,  with  a 
whole  roomful  of  corn,  a  kitchen,  and  a  beauti- 
ful dining-room.  Poor  little  Tiny  stood  before 
the  door  just  like  a  little  beggar-girl,  and  begged 
for  a  small  piece  of  barley-corn,  for  she  had  been 
without  a  morsel  to  eat  for  two  days. 

"You  poor  little  creature,"  said  the  field- 
mouse,  who  was  really  a  good  old  field-mouse, 
"come  into  my  warm  room  and  dine  with  me." 
She  was  very  pleased  with  Tiny,  so  she  said: 


326    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

"You  are  quite  welcome  to  stay  with  me  all  the 
Winter,  if  you  like;  but  you  must  keep  my  rooms 
clean  and  neat,  and  tell  me  stories,  for  I  shall 
like  to  hear  them  very  much."  And  Tiny  did 
all  the  field-mouse  asked  her,  and  found  herself 
very  comfortable. 

"We  shall  have  a  visitor  soon,"  said  the  field- 
mouse  one  day.  "My  neighbour  pays  me  a  visit 
once  a  week.  He  is  better  off  than  I  am.  He  has 
large  rooms,  and  wears  a  beautiful  black  velvet 
coat.  If  you  could  only  have  him  for  a  husband, 
you  would  be  well  provided  for  indeed!  But  he 
is  blind,  so  you  must  tell  him  some  of  your  pret- 
tiest stories." 

But  Tiny  did  not  feel  at  all  interested  about 
this  neighbour,  for  he  was  a  mole.  However,  he 
came  and  paid  his  visit,  dressed  in  his  black  vel- 
vet coat. 

"He  is  very  rich  and  learned,  and  his  house  is 
twenty  times  larger  than  mine,"  said  the  field- 
mouse. 

He  was  rich  and  learned,  no  doubt,  but  he 
always  spoke  slightingly  of  the  sun  and  the 
pretty  flowers,  because  he  had  never  seen  them. 
Tiny  was  obliged  to  sing  to  him:  "Lady-bird, 
lady-bird,  fly  away  home,"  and  many  other  pretty 
songs.  And  the  mole  fell  in  love  with  her  because 
she  had  such  a  sweet  voice.  But  he  said  nothing 
yet,  for  he  was  very  cautious. 


LITTLE  TINY  327 

A  short  time  before,  the  mole  had  dug  a  long 
passage  under  the  earth,  which  led  from  the  dwell- 
ing of  the  field-mouse  to  his  own,  and  here  she 
had  permission  to  walk  with  Tiny  whenever  she 
liked.  But  he  warned  them  not  to  be  alarmed  at 
the  sight  of  a  dead  bird  which  lay  in  the  passage. 
It  was  a  perfect  bird,  with  a  beak  and  feathers, 
and  could  not  have  been  dead  long,  and  was  ly- 
ing just  where  the  mole  had  made  his  passage. 

The  mole  took  a  piece  of  phosphorescent  wood 
in  his  mouth,  and  it  glittered  like  fire  in  the  dark. 
Then  he  went  before  them  to  light  them  through 
the  long,  dark  passage.  When  they  came  to  the 
spot  where  lay  the  dead  bird,  the  mole  pushed 
his  broad  nose  through  the  ceiling,  the  earth 
gave  way,  so  that  there  was  a  large  hole,  and  the 
daylight  shone  into  the  passage. 

In  the  middle  of  the  floor  lay  the  dead  swal- 
low, his  beautiful  wings  pulled  close  to  his  sides, 
his  feet  and  his  head  drawn  up  under  his  feathers. 
The  poor  bird  had  evidently  died  of  the  cold. 
It  made  little  Tiny  very  sad  to  see  it,  she  did  so 
love  the  little  birds.  All  the  Summer  they  had 
sung  and  twittered  for  her  so  beautifully. 

But  the  mole  pushed  it  aside  with  his  crooked 
legs,  and  said:  "He  will  sing  no  more  now.  How 
miserable  it  must  be  to  be  born  a  little  bird!  I 
am  thankful  that  none  of  my  children  will  ever  be 
birds,  for  they  can  do  nothing  but  cry,  'Tweet, 


328    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

tweet/  and  always  die  of  hunger  in  the  Win- 
ter." 

"Yes,  you  may  well  say  that,  you  clever  man!" 
exclaimed  the  field-mouse.  "What  is  the  use  of 
his  twittering,  for  when  Winter  comes  he  must 
either  starve  or  be  frozen  to  death.  Still,  birds 
are  very  high-bred." 

Tiny  said  nothing;  but  when  the  others  had 
turned  their  backs  on  the  bird,  she  stooped  down 
and  stroked  aside  the  soft  feathers  which  covered 
the  head,  and  kissed  the  closed  eyelids.  "Per- 
haps this  was  the  one  who  sang  to  me  so  sweetly 
in  the  Summer,"  she  said;  "and  how  much  pleas- 
ure it  gave  me,  you  dear,  pretty  bird." 

The  mole  now  stopped  up  the  hole  through 
which  the  daylight  shone,  and  then  accompanied 
Tiny  and  the  field-mouse  home. 

But  during  the  night  Tiny  could  not  sleep;  so 
she  got  out  of  bed  and  wove  a  large,  beautiful 
carpet  of  hay.  Then  she  carried  it  to  the  dead 
bird,  and  spread  it  over  him,  with  some  down 
from  the  flowers  which  she  had  found  in  the  field- 
mouse's  room.  The  down  was  as  soft  as  wool,  and 
she  spread  some  of  it  on  each  side  of  the  bird, 
so  that  he  might  lie  warmly  in  the  cold  earth. 

"Farewell,  you  pretty  little  bird!"  said  she, 
"farewell!  Thank  you  for  your  delightful  sing- 
ing during  the  Summer,  when  all  the  trees  were 
green,  and  the  warm  sun  shone  upon  us." 


LITTLE  TINY  329 

Then  she  laid  her  head  on  the  bird's  breast,  but 
she  was  alarmed  immediately,  for  it  seemed  as  if 
something  inside  the  bird  went  "thump,  thump." 
It  was  the  bird's  heart !  He  was  not  really  dead, 
only  benumbed  with  the  cold,  and  the  warmth 
had  restored  him  to  life.  In  Autumn  all  the  swal- 
lows fly  away  into  warm  countries,  but  if  one 
happens  to  linger,  the  cold  seizes  it,  it  becomes 
frozen,  and  falls  down  as  if  dead.  It  remains 
where  it  fell,  and  the  cold  snow  covers  it.  Tiny 
trembled  very  much.  She  was  quite  frightened, 
for  the  bird  was  large,  a  great  deal  larger  than 
herself  —  she  was  only  an  inch  high.  But  #she 
took  courage,  laid  the  wool  more  thickly  over  the 
poor  swallow,  and  then  took  a  leaf  which  she  had 
used  for  her  own  counterpane,  and  laid  it  over 
the  head  of  the  poor  bird. 

The  next  morning  she  again  stole  out  to  see 
him.  He  was  alive  but  very  weak.  He  could 
only  open  his  eyes  for  a  moment  to  look  at  Tiny, 
who  stood  by  holding  a  piece  of  decayed  wood 
in  her  hand,  for  she  had  no  other  lantern. 

"Thank  you,  pretty  little  maiden,"  said  the 
sick  swallow;  "I  have  been  so  nicely  warmed, 
that  I  shall  soon  regain  my  strength,  and  be  able 
to  fly  about  in  the  warm  sunshine." 

"Oh,"  said  she,  "it  is  cold  out  of  doors  now.  It 
snows  and  freezes.  Stay  in  your  warm  bed.  I 
will  take  care  of  you." 


330    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

Then  she  brought  the  swallow  some  water  in 
a  flower-leaf,  and  after  he  had  drunk,  he  told  her 
that  he  had  wounded  one  of  his  wings  in  a  thorn- 
bush,  and  could  not  fly  so  fast  as  the  other  birds, 
who  were  soon  far  away  on  their  journey  to  warm 
countries.  Then  at  last  he  had  fallen  to  the 
earth,  and  could  remember  no  more  nor  how  he 
came  to  be  where  she  had  found  him. 

The  whole  Winter  the  swallow  remained  under- 
ground, and  Tiny  nursed  him  with  care  and  love. 
Neither  the  mole  nor  the  field-mouse  knew  any- 
thing about  it,  for  they  did  not  like  swallows. 
Very  soon  the  Spring-time  came,  and  the  sun 
warmed  the  earth.  Then  the  swallow  bade  fare- 
well to  Tiny,  and  she  opened  the  hole  in  the  ceil- 
ing which  the  mole  had  made.  The  sun  shone  in 
upon  them  so  beautifully  that  the  swallow  asked 
her  if  she  would  go  with  him.  She  could  sit  on 
his  back,  he  said,  and  he  would  fly  away  with 
her  into  the  green  woods.  But  Tiny  knew  it 
would  make  the  field-mouse  very  grieved  if  she 
left  her  in  that  manner,  so  she  said:  "No,  I 
cannot." 

"Farewell,  then,  farewell,  you  good,  pretty, 
little  maiden!"  said  the  swallow.  And  he  flew 
out  into  the  sunshine. 

Tiny  looked  after  him,  and  the  tears  rose  in 
her  eyes.  She  was  very  fond  of  the  poor  swallow. 

"Tweet!    Tweet!"  sang  the  bird,  as  he  flew 


LITTLE  TINY  331 

out  into  the  green  woods,  and  Tiny  felt  sad.  She 
was  not  allowed  to  go  out  into  the  warm  sunshine. 
The  corn  which  had  been  sown  in  the  field  over 
the  house  of  the  field-mouse  had  grown  up  high 
into  the  air,  and  formed  a  thick  wood  to  Tiny, 
who  was  only  an  inch  high. 

"You  are  going  to  be  married,  Tiny,"  said  the 
field-mouse.  "My  neighbour  has  asked  for  you. 
What  good  fortune  for  a  poor  child  like  you! 
Now  we  will  prepare  your  wedding  clothes. 
They  must  be  both  woollen  and  linen.  Nothing 
must  be  wanting  when  you  are  the  mole's 
wife." 

Tiny  had  to  turn  the  spindle;  and  the  field- 
mouse  hired  four  spiders,  who  were  to  weave 
day  and  night.  Every  evening  the  mole  visited 
her,  and  was  continually  speaking  of  the  time 
when  the  Summer  would  be  over.  Then  he  would 
keep  his  wedding-day  with  Tiny.  But  now  the 
heat  of  the  sun  was  so  great  that  it  burned 
the  earth,  and  made  it  quite  hard,  like  a  stone. 
As  soon  as  the  Summer  was  over,  the  wedding 
should  take  place. 

But  Tiny  was  not  at  all  pleased;  for  she  did 
not  like  the  tiresome  mole.  Every  morning  when 
the  sun  rose,  and  every  evening  when  it  went 
down,  she  would  creep  out  at  the  door,  and  as 
the  wind  blew  aside  the  ears  of  corn,  so  that  she 
could  see  the  blue  sky,  she  thought  how  beautiful 


332    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

and  bright  it  seemed  out  there,  and  wished  so 
much  to  see  her  dear  swallow  again.  But  he 
never  returned;  for  by  this  time  he  had  flown  far 
away  into  the  lovely  green  forest. 

When  Autumn  arrived,  Tiny  had  her  outfit 
quite  ready;  and  the  field-mouse  said  to  her:  "In 
four  weeks  the  wedding  must  take  place." 

Then  Tiny  wept,  and  said  she  would  not  marry 
the  disagreeable  mole. 

"Nonsense,"  replied  the  field-mouse.  "Now, 
don't  be  obstinate,  or  I  shall  bite  you  with  my 
white  teeth.  He  is  a  very  handsome  mole.  The 
Queen  herself  does  not  wear  more  beautiful  vel- 
vets and  furs.  His  kitchen  and  cellars  are  quite 
full.  You  ought  to  be  very  thankful  for  such 
good  fortune." 

So  the  wedding-day  was  fixed,  on  which  the 
mole  was  to  fetch  Tiny  away  to  live  with  him, 
deep  under  the  earth,  and  never  again  to  see 
the  warm  sun,  because  he  did  not  like  it.  The 
poor  child  was  most  unhappy  at  the  thought  of 
saying  farewell  to  the  beautiful  sun;  and,  as  the 
field-mouse  had  given  her  permission  to  stand 
at  the  door,  she  went  to  look  at  it  once  more. 

"Farewell,  bright  sun!"  she  cried,  stretching 
out  her  arm  toward  it.  And  then  she  walked  a 
short  distance  from  the  house;  for  the  corn  had 
been  cut,  and  only  the  dry  stubble  remained  in 
the  fields.    "Farewell!   Farewell!"  she  repeated, 


LITTLE  TINY  333 

twining  her  arm  round  a  little  red  flower  that 
grew  just  by  her  side.  "Greet  the  little  swallow 
from  me,  if  you  should  see  him  again." 

"Tweet!  Tweet!"  sounded  over  her  head  sud- 
denly. She  looked  up,  and  there  was  the  swallow 
himself  flying  close  by.  As  soon  as  he  spied  Tiny, 
he  was  delighted;  and  then  she  told  him  how  un- 
willing she  felt  to  marry  the  ugly  mole,  and  to 
live  always  beneath  the  earth,  and  never  to  see 
the  bright  sun  any  more.  And  as  she  told  him 
she  wept. 

"Cold  Winter  is  coming,"  said  the  swallow, 
"and  I  am  going  to  fly  away  into  warmer  coun- 
tries. Will  you  go  with  me?  You  can  sit  on  my 
back,  and  fasten  yourself  on  with  your  sash. 
Then  we  can  fly  away  from  the  ugly  mole  and 
his  gloomy  rooms  —  far  away,  over  the  moun- 
tains, into  warmer  countries,  where  the  sun  shines 
more  brightly  than  here ;  where  it  is  always  Sum- 
mer, and  the  flowers  bloom  in  greater  beauty. 
Fly  now  with  me,  dear  little  Tiny!  You  saved 
my  life  when  I  lay  frozen  in  that  dark,  dreary 
passage." 

"Yes,  I  will  go  with  you,"  said  Tiny.  And  she 
seated  herself  on  the  bird's  back,  with  her  feet 
on  his  outstretched  wings,  and  tied  her  girdle 
to  one  of  his  strongest  feathers. 

Then  the  swallow  rose  in  the  air,  and  flew  over 
forest  and  over  sea,  high  above  the  highest  moun- 


334    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

tains,  covered  with  eternal  snow.  Tiny  would 
have  been  frozen  in  the  cold  air,  but  she  crept 
under  the  bird's  warm  feathers,  keeping  her  lit- 
tle head  uncovered,  so  that  she  might  admire  the 
beautiful  lands  over  which  they  passed. 

At  length  they  reached  the  warm  countries, 
where  the  sun  shines  brightly,  and  the  sky  seems 
so  much  higher  above  the  earth.  Here,  on  the 
hedges,  and  by  the  wayside,  grew  purple,  green, 
and  white  grapes;  lemons  and  oranges  hung  from 
trees  in  the  woods;  and  the  air  was  fragrant  with 
myrtles  and  orange  blossoms.  Beautiful  children 
ran  along  the  country  lanes,  playing  with  large 
gay  butterflies.  And,  as  the  swallow  flew  farther 
and  farther,  every  place  appeared  still  more 
lovely. 

I  At  last  they  came  to  a  blue  lake,  and  by  the 
side  of  it,  shaded  by  trees  of  the  deepest  green, 
stood  a  palace  of  dazzling  white  marble,  built 
in  the  olden  times.  Vines  clustered  round  its 
lofty  pillars,  and  at  the  top  were  many  swal- 
lows' nests,  and  one  of  these  was  the  home  of 
the  swallow  who  carried  Tiny. 

"This  is  my  house,"  said  the  swallow;  "but  it 
would  not  do  for  you  to  live  there  —  you  would 
not  be  comfortable.  You  must  choose  for  your- 
self one  of  those  lovely  flowers,  and  I  will  put 
you  down  upon  it,  and  then  you  shall  have  every- 
thing that  you  can  wish  to  make  you  happy." 


LITTLE  TINY  335 

"That  will  be  delightful!"  she  said,  and  clapped 
her  little  hands  for  joy. 

A  large  marble  pillar  lay  on  the  ground,  which, 
in  falling,  had  been  broken  into  three  pieces. 
Between  these  pieces  grew  the  most  beautiful 
large  white  flowers;  so  the  swallow  flew  down 
with  Tiny,  and  placed  her  on  one  of  the  broad 
leaves.  But  how  surprised  she  was  to  see,  in  the 
middle  of  the  flowers,  a  tiny  little  man,  as  white 
and  transparent  as  if  he  had  been  made  of  crystal ! 
He  had  a  gold  crown  on  his  head,  and  delicate 
wings  at  his  shoulders,  and  was  not  much  larger 
than  Tiny  herself .  He  was  the  Fairy  of  the  flower; 
for  a  tiny  man  and  a  tiny  woman  dwell  in  every 
flower;  and  this  was  the  King  of  them  all. 

"Oh,  how  beautiful  he  is!"  whispered  Tiny 
to  the  swallow. 

The  little  King  was  at  first  quite  frightened 
at  the  bird,  who  was  like  a  giant  compared  to 
such  a  delicate  little  creature  as  himself.  But 
when  he  saw  Tiny,  he  was  delighted,  and  thought 
her  the  prettiest  little  maiden  he  had  ever  seen. 
He  took  the  gold  crown  from  his  head,  and  placed 
it  on  hers,  and  asked  her  name,  and  if  she  would 
be  his  wife,  and  Queen  over  all  the  flowers. 

This  certainly  was  a  very  different  sort  of  hus- 
band to  the  son  of  the  toad,  or  the  mole,  with  his 
black  velvet  and  fur;  so  she  said  "Yes,"  to  the 
handsome  King. 


336    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

Then  all  the  flowers  opened,  and  out  of  each 
came  a  little  lady  or  a  tiny  lord,  all  so  pretty  it 
was  quite  a  pleasure  to  look  at  them.  Each  of 
them  brought  Tiny  a  present.  But  the  best  gift 
was  a  pair  of  beautiful  wings,  which  had  belonged 
to  a  large  white  fly,  and  they  fastened  them 
to  Tiny's  shoulders,  so  that  she  might  fly  from 
flower  to  flower. 

Then  there  was  much  rejoicing,  and  the  little 
swallow,  who  sat  above  them,  in  his  nest,  was 
asked  to  sing  a  wedding  song,  which  he  did  as 
well  as  he  could;  but  in  his  heart  he  felt  sad,  for 
he  was  very  fond  of  Tiny,  and  would  have  liked 
never  to  part  from  her  again. 

"You  must  not  be  called  Tiny  any  more," 
said  the  Fairy  of  the  flowers  to  her.  "It  is  an 
ugly  name,  and  you  are  so  very  pretty.  We 
will  call  you  Maia." 

"Farewell!  Farewell!"  said  the  swallow,  with 
a  heavy  heart  as  he  left  the  warm  countries,  to 
fly  back  into  Denmark.  There  he  had  a  nest 
over  the  window  of  a  house  in  which  dwelt  the 
writer  of  Fairy  tales.  The  swallow  sang,  "Tweet! 
Tweet!"  And  from  his  song  came  this  whole 
story. 

Hans  Christian  Andersen 


THE  IMMORTAL  FOUNTAIN 

In  ancient  times  two  little  Princesses  lived  in 
Scotland,  one  of  whom  was  extremely  beautiful, 
and  the  other  dwarfish,  dark-coloured,  and  de- 
formed. One  was  named  Rose,  and  the  other 
Marion. 

The  sisters  did  not  live  happily  together. 
Marion  hated  Rose  because  the  latter  was  hand- 
some and  everybody  praised  her.  So  Marion 
scowled  and  her  face  grew  absolutely  black  when 
anybody  asked  her  how  her  pretty  little  sister 
was.  And  once  she  was  so  wicked  and  jealous 
that  she  cut  off  all  Rose's  glossy  golden  hair,  and 
threw  it  in  the  fire.  Poor  Rose  cried  bitterly 
about  it,  but  she  did  not  scold  or  strike  her  sis- 
ter, for  she  was  an  amiable  and  gentle  little  be- 
ing. 

No  wonder,  then,  that  all  the  family  and  all 
the  neighbours  disliked  Marion;  and  no  wonder 
that  her  face  grew  uglier  and  uglier  every  day. 
But  the  neighbours  used  to  say  that  Rose  had 
been  blessed  by  the  Fairies,  to  whom  she  owed 
her  extraordinary  beauty  and  goodness. 

Not  far  from  the  castle  where  the  Princesses 
resided  was  a  deep  grotto,  said  to  lead  to  the 
Palace  of  Beauty  where  the  Queen  of  the  Fairies 


338    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

held  her  Court.  Some  said  that  Rose  had  fallen 
asleep  there  one  day  when  she  was  tired  of  chas- 
ing a  butterfly,  and  that  the  Queen  had  dipped 
her  in  an  Immortal  Fountain,  from  which  she 
had  risen  with  the  beauty  of  an  angel.  Marion 
often  asked  Rose  about  this  story,  but  the  child 
always  replied  that  she  was  forbidden  to  speak 
of  it.  When  Rose  saw  any  uncommon  bird  or 
butterfly,  she  would  exclaim:  "Oh,  how  much 
that  looks  like  Fairyland!"  But  when  asked 
what  she  knew  about  Fairyland,  she  blushed  and 
would  not  answer. 

Marion  thought  a  great  deal  about  this.  "Why 
can  I  not  go  to  the  Palace  of  Beauty?  "  thought 
she.  "And  why  may  I  not  bathe  in  the  Immor- 
tal Fountain?" 

One  Summer's  noon,  when  all  was  still  save 
the  faint  twitterings  of  birds  and  the  lazy  hum  of 
bees,  Marion  entered  the  deep  grotto.  She  sat 
down  on  a  bank  of  moss.  The  air  around  her 
was  as  fragrant  as  if  it  came  from  a  bed  of  violets. 
And  with  the  far-off  sound  of  music  in  her  ears, 
she  fell  into  a  gentle  slumber. 

When  she  awoke  it  was  evening,  and  she  found 
herself  in  a  small  hall,  where  opal  pillars  sup- 
ported a  rainbow  roof,  the  bright  reflection  of 
which  rested  on  crystal  walls  and  on  a  golden 
floor  inlaid  with  pearls.  All  around,  between  the 
opal  pillars,  stood  the  tiniest  vases  of  pure  ala- 


THE  IMMORTAL  FOUNTAIN      339 

baster,  in  which  grew  a  multitude  of  brilliant 
and  fragrant  flowers;  some  of  which,  twining 
around  the  pillars,  were  lost  in  the  floating  rain- 
bow above.  This  scene  of  beauty  was  lighted  by 
millions  of  fireflies  glittering  in  the  air  like  wan- 
dering stars. 

While  Marion  was  gazing  in  amazement  at  all 
this,  a  little  lady  of  rare  loveliness  stood  before 
her.  Her  robe  was  of  green  and  gold.  Her  flow- 
ing gossamer  mantle  was  caught  upon  one  shoul- 
der with  a  pearl,  and  in  her  hair  was  a  solitary 
star  composed  of  five  diamonds,  each  no  bigger 
than  a  pin  point.  She  smiled  at  Marion  and 
sang:  — 

"  The  Fairy  Queen 

Hath  rarely  seen 
Creature  of  earthly  mould 

Within  her  door 

On  pearly  floor 
Inlaid  with  shining  gold  I 
Mortal,  all  thou  seest  is  fair  I 
Quick  I  Thy  purposes  declare  I " 

As  she  concluded,  the  song  was  taken  up  and 
thrice  repeated  by  a  multitude  of  soft  voices  in 
the  distance.  It  seemed  as  if  birds  and  insects 
joined  in  the  chorus;  and  ever  and  anon  between 
the  pauses,  the  sound  of  a  cascade  was  heard, 
whose  waters  fell  in  music. 

All  these  delightful  sounds  died  away,  and  the 
Queen  of  the  Fairies  stood  patiently  awaiting 


340    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAERIES 

Marion's  answer.  Curtsying  low,  and  with  a 
trembling  voice,  the  little  maiden  said :  — 

"Will  it  please  Your  Majesty  to  make  me  as 
handsome  as  my  sister  Rose?" 

The  Queen  smiled  again.  "I  will  grant  your 
request,"  said  she,  "if  you  will  promise  to  fulfil 
all  the  conditions  I  propose." 

Marion  eagerly  promised  that  she  would. 

"The  Immortal  Fountain,"  continued  the 
Queen,  "is  on  the  top  of  a  high,  steep  hill.  At 
four  different  places  Fairies  are  stationed  around 
it,  who  guard  it  with  their  wands.  None  can 
pass  except  those  who  obey  my  orders.  Go  home 
now.  For  one  week  speak  no  ungentle  word  to 
your  sister.  At  the  end  of  that  time  come  again 
to  the  grotto." 

Marion  went  home  light  of  heart.  Rose  was 
in  the  garden,  watering  flowers.  And  the  first 
thing  Marion  observed  was  that  her  sister's 
sunny  hair  had  grown  as  long  and  beautiful  as 
before  it  was  cut  off.  The  sight  made  her  angry, 
and  she  was  just  about  to  snatch  the  watering- 
pot  from  Rose's  hand  with  cross  words,  when 
she  remembered  the  Fairy,  and  passed  into  the 
castle  in  silence. . 

The  end  of  the  week  arrived,  and  Marion  had 
faithfully  kept  her  promise.  Again  she  entered 
the  grotto.  The  Queen  was  feasting  when 
Marion  reached  the  hall  with  opal  pillars.   The 


THE  IMMORTAL  FOUNTAIN      341 

bees  had  brought,  as  a  gift,  golden  honey,  and 
placed  it  on  small  rose-coloured  shells  which 
adorned  a  crystal  table.  Bright  butterflies 
floated  about  the  head  of  the  Queen,  and  fanned 
her  with  their  wings.  Fireflies  flew  near  to  give 
her  light.  And  a  large  diamond  beetle  formed 
her  footstool.  After  she  had  supped,  a  dew-drop 
on  a  violet  petal  was  brought  her  to  bathe  her 
royal  fingers. 

Behind  the  Queen's  chair  hovered  numerous 
bright  Fairies,  but  when  Marion  entered  the 
diamond  sparkles  on  their  wings  faded  as  they 
always  do  in  the  presence  of  anything  bad.  And 
in  a  second  all  the  Queen's  attendants  vanished, 
singing  as  they  went:  — 

"  The  Fairy  Queen 

Hath  rarely  seen 
Creature  of  mortal  mould 

Within  her  door 

On  yearly  floor 
Inlaid  with  shining  gold  J" 

"Mortal,  have  you  fulfilled  your  promise?" 
asked  the  Queen. 

"I  have,"  replied  the  maiden. 

"Then  follow  me." 

Marion  did  as  she  was  directed,  and  away 
they  hastened  over  beds  of  Violets  and  Mignon- 
ette. Birds  sang,  butterflies  fluttered,  and  the 
voices  of  many  fountains  came  on  the  breeze. 

Presently  they  reached  the  hill  on  the  top  of 


342    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

which  was  the  Immortal  Fountain.  The  foot  of 
the  hill  was  surrounded  by  a  band  of  Fairies 
clothed  in  green  gossamer,  and  with  their  ivory 
wands  crossed  to  bar  the  ascent.  The  Queen 
waved  her  wand  over  them,  and  immediately 
they  stretched  their  transparent  wings  and  flew 
away. 

The  hill  was  steep,  and  far,  far  up  climbed  the 
Queen  and  Marion.  The  air  became  more  and 
more  fragrant;  and  more  and  more  distinctly 
they  heard  the  sound  of  waters  falling  in  music. 
At  length  they  were  stopped  by  another  band 
of  Fairies,  clothed  in  blue  gossamer,  with  silver 
wands  crossed. 

"Here,"  said  the  Queen,  "our  journey  must 
end.  You  can  go  no  farther  until  you  have  ful- 
filled the  orders  I  shall  give  you.  Go  home  now. 
For  one  month  do  by  your  sister  as  you  would 
wish  her  to  do  by  you,  if  you  were  Rose  and  she 
Marion." 

Marion  promised  and  departed.  She  found  the 
task  harder  than  the  first  had  been.  When  Rose 
asked  her  for  playthings,  she  found  it  hard  to 
give  them  gently  and  affectionately.  When  Rose 
talked  to  her,  she  wanted  to  go  away  in  silence. 
And  when  a  pocket  mirror  was  found  in  her  sis- 
ter's room,  broken  into  a  thousand  pieces,  she 
felt  sorely  tempted  to  conceal  that  she  had  done 
the  mischief.  But  she  was  so  anxious  to  be  made 


THE  IMMORTAL  FOUNTAIN      343 

beautiful  that  she  did  as  she  wished  to  be  done 

by. 

All  the  household  remarked  how  Marion  had 
changed. 

"I  love  her  dearly!"  said  Rose;  "she  is  so 
good  and  amiable." 

"So  do  I!"  said  a  dozen  voices. 

Marion  blushed  deeply,  and  her  eyes  sparkled 
with  pleasure.  "How  pleasant  it  is  to  be  loved!" 
thought  she. 

At  the  end  of  the  month  she  went  to  the  grotto 
again.  Again  the  Fairy  Queen  conducted  her  up 
the  hill,  and  this  time  the  Fairies  in  blue  lowered 
their  silver  wands  and  flew  away.  The  two  trav- 
elled on,  higher  and  higher.  The  path  grew 
steeper  and  steeper,  but  the  fragrant  air  became 
more  delicious,  and  more  distinctly  was  heard 
the  sound  of  waters  falling  in  music. 

At  length  their  course  was  stayed  by  a  troop 
of  Fairies  clothed  in  rainbow  robes,  and  hold- 
ing silver  wands  tipped  with  gold.  In  face  and 
form  they  were  far  more  beautiful  than  anything 
Marion  had  yet  seen. 

"Here  we  must  pause,"  said  the  Queen.  "This 
boundary  you  cannot  yet  pass." 

"Why  not?"  asked  the  impatient  Marion. 

"Because  those  who  pass  the  Rainbow  Fair- 
ies must  be  very  pure,"  replied  the  Queen. 

"Am  I  not  very  pure?"  asked  the  maiden.  "AH 


344    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

the  people  in  the  castle  tell  me  how  good  I  have 
grown." 

"Mortal  eyes  see  only  the  outside,"  answered 
the  Queen.  "But  those  who  pass  the  Rainbow 
Fairies  must  be  pure  in  thought  as  well  as  action. 
Go  home  now.  For  three  months  never  indulge 
in  a  wicked  or  envious  thought.  You  shall  then 
have  a  glimpse  of  the  Immortal  Fountain." 

Marion  returned  home.  At  the  end  of  three 
months  she  again  visited  the  hall  with  opal  pil- 
lars. The  Queen  did  not  smile  when  she  saw  her; 
but  in  silence  led  the  way  up  the  hill  toward  the 
Immortal  Fountain.  The  Green  Fairies  and  the 
Blue  Fairies  flew  away  as  they  approached;  but 
the  Rainbow  Fairies  bowed  low  to  the  Queen, 
and  kept  their  gold-tipped  wands  firmly  crossed. 

Marion  saw  that  the  silver  specks  on  the 
Fairies'  wings  began  to  grow  dim,  and  she  burst 
into  tears. 

"I  knew,"  said  the  Queen,  "that  you  could 
not  pass  this  boundary.  Envy  has  been  in  your 
heart.  But  be  not  discouraged,  for  years  you 
have  been  indulging  in  wrong  feelings;  and  you 
must  not  wonder  if  it  takes  many  months  to  drive 
them  out.   Go  home  and  try  once  more." 

So  poor  Marion  went  sadly  away.  And  when 
she  visited  the  hall  again,  the  Queen  smiled, 
and  touched  her  playfully  with  her  wand.  She 
then  led  her  up  the  hill  to  the  Immortal  Foun- 


THE  IMMORTAL  FOUNTAIN       345 

tain.  The  silver  specks  on  the  wings  of  the  Rain- 
bow Fairies  shone  bright  as  Marion  approached, 
and  the  Fairies  lowered  their  wings  and  flew 
away. 

And  now  every  footstep  was  on  flowers  that 
yielded  beneath  the  feet  like  a  pathway  of  clouds. 
The  delicious  fragrance  could  almost  be  felt, 
and  loud  and  clear  and  sweet  came  the  sound  of 
waters  falling  in  music.  And  now  Marion  could 
see  a  cascade  leaping  and  sparkling  over  crystal 
rocks.  Above  it  rested  a  rainbow.  The  spray 
fell  in  pearls  forming  delicate  foliage  around  the 
margin  of  the  Fountain.  And  deep  and  silent 
below  the  foam  of  the  cascade  was  the  Immortal 
Fountain  of  Beauty.  Its  amber-coloured  waves 
flowed  over  a  golden  bed,  and  many  Fairies  were 
bathing  in  its  waves,  the  diamonds  in  their  hair 
gleaming  like  sunbeams  on  the  water. 

"Oh,  let  me  bathe  in  the  Fountain!"  cried 
Marion,  clapping  her  hands  in  delight. 

"Not  yet,"  said  the  Queen.  "Behold  the  Pur- 
ple Fairies  with  golden  wands  that  guard  its 
brink." 

Marion  looked,  and  saw  Beings  lovelier  than 
any  her  eye  had  ever  rested  on. 

"You  cannot  pass  them  yet,"  said  the  Queen. 
"Go  home.  For  one  year  drive  from  your  heart 
all  evil  feelings,  not  for  the  sake  of  bathing  in 
this  Fountain,  but  because  goodness  is  lovely 


346    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

and  desirable  for  its  own  sake.  Then  your  work 
is  done." 

Marion  returned  home.  This  was  the  hardest 
task  of  all.  For  she  had  been  willing  to  be  good, 
not  because  it  was  right,  but  because  she  wished 
to  be  beautiful.  Three  times  she  sought  the 
grotto,  and  three  times  she  left  in  tears,  for  the 
golden  specks  on  the  wings  of  the  Purple  Fairies 
grew  dim  as  she  approached,  and  the  golden 
wands  were  still  crossed  to  shut  her  from  the 
Immortal  Fountain. 

But  the  fourth  time  the  Purple  Fairies  lowered 

their  wands,  singing:  — 

"  Thou  hast  scaled  the  mountain, 
Go,  bathe  in  the  Fountain; 
Rise  fair  to  the  sight, 
As  an  angel  of  light; 
Go  bathe  in  the  Fountain!*9 

Marion,  full  of  joy,  was  about  to  plunge  in,  but 
the  Queen  touched  her,  saying:  — 

"Look  in  the  mirror  of  the  water.  Art  thou 
not  already  as  beautiful  as  heart  can  wish?" 

Marion  looked  at  herself,  and  saw  that  her 
eyes  sparkled  with  new  lustre,  a  bright  colour 
shone  in  her  cheeks,  her  hair  waved  softly  about 
her  face,  and  dimples  played  sweetly  around  her 
mouth. 

"But  I  have  not  touched  the  Immortal  Foun- 
tain!" cried  she,  turning  in  surprise  to  the 
Queen. 


THE  IMMORTAL  FOUNTAIN      347 

"True,"  replied  the  Queen.  "But  its  waters 
have  been  within  your  soul.  Know  that  a  pure 
and  happy  heart,  and  gentleness  toward  others, 
are  the  only  Immortal  Fountains  of  Beauty!" 

Marion  thanked  the  Queen,  and  joyfully  re- 
turned home. 

Rose  ran  to  meet  her,  and  clasped  her  to  her 
bosom  fervently. 

"I  know  all,"  she  said;  "I  have  been  in  Fairy- 
land. Disguised  as  a  bird,  I  have  watched  all 
your  steps.  When  you  first  went  to  the  grotto, 
I  begged  the  Queen  to  grant  your  wish." 

Ever  after  the  sisters  lived  lovingly  together. 
It  was  the  remark  of  every  one:  "How  handsome 
Marion  has  grown!  The  ugly  scowl  has  de- 
parted from  her  face,  her  eyes  are  so  clear  and 
gentle,  her  mouth  is  so  pretty  and  smiling.  To 
my  taste  she  is  as  handsome  as  Rose." 

Lydia  Maria  Child  (Adapted) 


THE  STORY  OF  CHILDE  CHARITY 

Once  upon  a  time  there  lived  in  the  west  coun- 
try a  little  girl  who  had  neither  father  nor  mother; 
they  both  died  when  she  was  very  young,  and 
left  their  daughter  to  the  care  of  her  uncle,  who 
was  the  richest  farmer  in  all  that  country.  He 
had  houses  and  lands,  flocks  and  herds,  many 
servants  to  work  about  his  house  and  fields,  a 
wife  who  had  brought  him  a  great  dowry,  and 
two  fair  daughters. 

All  their  neighbours,  being  poor,  looked  up  to 
the  family  —  insomuch  that  they  imagined  them- 
selves great  people.  The  father  and  mother  were 
as  proud  as  peacocks;  the  daughters  thought 
themselves  the  greatest  beauties  in  the  world, 
and  not  one  of  the  family  would  speak  civilly  to 
anybody  they  thought  low. 

Now  it  happened  that  though  she  was  their 
near  relation,  they  had  this  opinion  of  the  orphan 
girl,  partly  because  she  had  no  fortune,  and  partly 
because  of  her  humble,  kindly  disposition.  It 
was  said  that  the  more  needy  and  despised  any 
creature  was,  the  more  ready  was  she  to  befriend 
it:  on  which  account  the  people  of  the  west  coun- 
try called  her  Childe  Charity,  and  if  she  had  any 
other  name,  I  never  heard  it. 


THE  STORY  OF  CHILDE  CHARITY    349 

Childe  Charity  was  thought  very  mean  in  that 
proud  house.  Her  uncle  would  not  own  her  for 
his  niece;  her  cousins  would  not  keep  her  com- 
pany; and  her  aunt  sent  her  to  work  in  the  dairy, 
and  to  sleep  in  the  back  garret,  where  they  kept 
all  sorts  of  lumber  and  dry  herbs  for  the  winter. 
The  servants  learned  the  same  tune,  and  Childe 
Charity  had  more  work  than  rest  among  them. 
All  the  day  she  scoured  pails,  scrubbed  dishes, 
and  washed  crockeryware.  But  every  night  she 
slept  in  the  back  garret  as  sound  as  a  Princess 
could  in  her  palace  chamber. 

Her  uncle's  house  was  large  and  white,  and 
stood  among  green  meadows  by  a  river's  side. 
In  front  it  had  a  porch  covered  with  a  vine;  be- 
hind, it  had  a  farmyard  and  high  granaries. 
Within,  there  were  two  parlours  for  the  rich,  and 
two  kitchens  for  the  poor,  which  the  neighbours 
thought  wonderfully  grand.  And  one  day  in  the 
harvest  season,  when  this  rich  farmer's  corn  had 
been  all  cut  down  and  housed,  he  condescended 
so  far  as  to  invite  his  neighborhood  to  a  harvest 
supper.  The  west  country  people  came  in  their 
holiday  clothes  and  best  behaviour.  Such  heaps 
of  cakes  and  cheese,  such  baskets  of  apples  and 
barrels  of  ale,  had  never  been  at  feast  before. 

They  were  making  merry  in  kitchen  and  par- 
lour, when  a  poor  old  woman  came  to  the  back 
door,  begging  for  broken  victuals  and  a  night's 


350    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

lodging.  Her  clothes  were  coarse  and  ragged;  her 
hair  was  scanty  and  grey;  her  back  was  bent; 
her  teeth  were  gone.  She  had  a  squinting  eye, 
a  clubbed  foot,  and  crooked  fingers.  In  short, 
she  was  the  poorest  and  ugliest  old  woman  that 
ever  came  begging. 

The  first  who  saw  her  was  the  kitchen-maid, 
and  she  ordered  her  to  be  gone  for  an  ugly  witch. 
The  next  was  the  herd-boy,  and  he  threw  her 
a  bone  over  his  shoulder.  But  Childe  Charity, 
hearing  the  noise,  came  out  from  her  seat  at  the 
foot  of  the  lowest  table,  and  asked  the  old  woman 
to  take  her  share  of  the  supper,  and  sleep  that 
night  in  her  bed  in  the  back  garret. 

The  old  woman  sat  down  without  a  word  of 
thanks.  All  the  company  laughed  at  Childe 
Charity  for  giving  her  bed  and  her  supper  to  a 
beggar.  Her  proud  cousins  said  it  was  just  like 
her  mean  spirit,  but  Childe  Charity  did  not  mind 
them.  She  scraped  the  pots  for  her  supper  that 
night  and  slept  on  a  sack  among  the  lumber, 
while  the  old  woman  rested  in  her  warm  bed. 

And  next  morning,  before  the  little  girl  awoke, 
the  old  woman  was  up  and  gone,  without  so 
much  as  saying  "Thank  you,"  or  "Good  morn- 
mg. 

That  day  all  the  servants  were  sick  after  the 
feast,  and  mostly  cross  too  —  so  you  may  judge 
how  civil  they  were;  when,  at  supper  time,  who 


"CH1LDE  CHARITY  CAME  OUT  AND  ASKED  THE  OLD  WOMAN 
TO  TAKE  HER  SHARE  OF  THE  SUPPER" 


THE  STORY  OF  CHILDE  CHARITY    351 

should  come  to  the  back  door  but  the  old  woman, 
again  asking  for  broken  victuals  and  a  night's 
lodging. 

No  one  would  listen  to  her  or  give  her  a  mor- 
sel, till  Childe  Charity  rose  from  her  seat  at  the 
foot  of  the  lowest  table,  and  kindly  asked  her  to 
take  her  supper,  and  sleep  in  her  bed  in  the  back 
garret.  Again  the  old  woman  sat  down  without 
a  word.  Childe  Charity  scraped  the  pots  for  her 
supper,  and  slept  on  the  sack. 

In  the  morning  the  old  woman  was  gone;  but 
for  six  nights  after,  as  sure  as  the  supper  was 
spread,  there  was  she  at  the  back  door,  and  the 
little  girl  regularly  asked  her  in. 

Childe  Charity's  aunt  said  she  would  let  her 
get  enough  of  beggars.  Her  cousins  made  con- 
tinual game  of  what  they  called  her  genteel  visi- 
tor. Sometimes  the  old  woman  said:  "Child, 
why  don't  you  make  this  bed  softer?  and  why 
are  your  blankets  so  thin?"  but  she  never  gave 
her  a  word  of  thanks,  nor  a  civil  good  morning. 

At  last,  on  the  ninth  night  from  her  first  com- 
ing, when  Childe  Charity  was  getting  used  to 
scrape  the  pots  and  sleep  on  the  sack,  her  accus- 
tomed knock  came  at  the  door,  and  there  she 
stood  with  an  ugly  ashy-coloured  dog,  so  stupid- 
looking  and  clumsy  that  no  herd-boy  would  keep 
him. 

"Good  evening,  my  little  girl,"  she  said  when 


352    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

Childe  Charity  opened  the  door.  "I  will  not 
have  your  supper  and  bed  to-night  —  I  am  go- 
ing on  a  long  journey  to  see  a  friend.  But  here 
is  a  dog  of  mine,  whom  nobody  in  all  the  west 
country  will  keep  for  me.  He  is  a  little  cross, 
and  not  very  handsome;  but  I  leave  him  to  your 
care  till  the  shortest  day  in  all  the  year.  Then 
you  and  I  will  count  for  his  keeping." 

When  the  old  woman  had  said  the  last  word, 
she  set  off  with  such  speed  that  Childe  Charity 
lost  sight  of  her  in  a  minute.  The  ugly  dog  be- 
gan to  fawn  upon  her,  but  he  snarled  at  every- 
body else.  The  servants  said  he  was  a  disgrace 
to  the  house.  The  proud  cousins  wanted  him 
drowned,  and  it  was  with  great  trouble  that 
Childe  Charity  got  leave  to  keep  him  in  an  old 
ruined  cow-house. 

Ugly  and  cross  as  the  dog  was,  he  fawned  on 
her,  and  the  old  woman  had  left  him  to  her  care. 
So  the  little  girl  gave  him  part  of  all  her  meals, 
and  when  the  hard  frost  came,  took  him  pri- 
vately to  her  own  back  garret,  because  the  cow- 
house was  damp  and  cold  in  the  long  nights. 
The  dog  lay  quietly  on  some  straw  in  a  corner. 
Childe  Charity  slept  soundly,  but  every  morn- 
ing the  servants  would  say  to  her:  — 

"What  great  light  and  fine  talking  was  that 
in  your  back  garret?" 

"There  was  no  light,  but  the  moon  shining  in 


THE  STORY  OF  CHILDE  CHARITY    353 

through  the  shutterless  window,  and  no  talk 
that  I  heard,"  said  Childe  Charity. 

And  she  thought  they  must  have  been  dream- 
ing. But  night  after  night,  when  any  of  them 
awoke  in  the  dark  and  silent  hour  that  comes 
before  the  morning,  they  saw  a  light  brighter 
and  clearer  than  the  Christmas  fire,  and  heard 
voices  like  those  of  lords  and  ladies  in  the  back 
garret. 

Partly  from  fear,  and  partly  from  laziness, 
none  of  the  servants  would  rise  to  see  what  might 
be  there.  At  length,  when  the  winter  nights 
were  at  the  longest,  the  little  parlour-maid,  who 
did  least  work  and  got  most  favour,  because  she 
gathered  news  for  her  mistress,  crept  out  of  bed 
when  all  the  rest  were  sleeping,  and  set  herself 
to  watch  at  a  crevice  of  the  door. 

She  saw  the  dog  lying  quietly  in  the  corner, 
Childe  Charity  sleeping  soundly  in  her  bed,  and 
the  moon  shining  through  the  shutterless  win- 
dow. But  an  hour  before  daybreak  there  came 
a  glare  of  lights,  and  a  sound  of  far-off  bugles. 
The  window  opened,  and  in  marched  a  troop  of 
little  men  clothed  in  crimson  and  gold,  and  bear- 
ing every  man  a  torch,  till  the  room  looked  bright 
as  day.  They  marched  up  with  great  reverence 
to  the  dog,  where  he  lay  on  the  straw,  and  the 
most  richly  clothed  among  them  said :  — 

"Royal  Prince,  we  have  prepared  the  banquet 


354    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

hall.  What  will  Your  Highness  please  that  we 
do  next?" 

"Ye  have  done  well,"  said  the  dog.  "Now, 
prepare  the  feast,  and  see  that  all  things  be  in 
our  first  fashion:  for  the  Princess  and  I  mean  to 
bring  a  stranger  who  never  feasted  in  our  halls 
before." 

"Your  Highness's  commands  shall  be  obeyed," 
said  the  little  man,  making  another  reverence;  and 
he  and  his  company  passed  out  of  the  window. 

By  and  by  there  was  another  glare  of  lights, 
and  a  sound  like  far-off  flutes.  The  window 
opened,  and  there  came  in  a  company  of  little 
ladies  clad  in  rose-coloured  velvet,  and  carrying 
each  a  crystal  lamp.  They  also  walked  with 
great  reverence  up  to  the  dog,  and  the  gayest 
among  them  said:  — 

"Royal  Prince,  we  have  prepared  the  tapes- 
try. What  wilf  Your  Highness  please  that  we. do 
next?" 

"Ye  have  done  well,"  said  the  dog.  "Now, 
prepare  the  robes,  and  let  all  things  be  in  our 
first  fashion:  for  the  Princess  and  I  will  bring 
with  us  a  stranger  who  never  feasted  in  our  halls 
before." 

"Your  Highness's  commands  shall  be  obeyed," 
said  the  little  lady,  making  a  low  curtsy;  and 
she  and  her  company  passed  out  through  the 
window,  which  closed  quietly  behind  them. 


THE  STORY  OF  CHILDE  CHARITY    355 

The  dog  stretched  himself  out  upon  the  straw, 
the  little  girl  turned  in  her  sleep,  and  the  moon 
shone  in  on  the  back  garret. 

The  parlour-maid  was  so  much  amazed,  and 
so  eager  to  tell  this  great  story  to  her  mistress, 
that  she  could  not  close  her  eyes  that  night,  and 
was  up  before  cock-crow.  But  when  she  told  it, 
her  mistress  called  her  a  silly  wench  to  have  such 
foolish  dreams,  and  scolded  her  so  that  the  par- 
lour-maid durst  not  mention  what  she  had  seen 
to  the  servants. 

Nevertheless  Childe  Charity's  aunt  thought 
there  might  be  something  in  it  worth  knowing; 
so  next  night,  when  all  the  house  were  asleep, 
she  crept  out  of  bed,  and  set  herself  to  watch  at 
the  back  garret  door. 

There  she  saw  exactly  what  the  maid  told  her 
—  the  little  men  with  the  torches,  and  the  little 
ladies  with  the  crystal  lamps,  come  in  making 
great  reverence  to  the  dog,  and  the  same  words 
pass,  only  he  said  to  the  one,  "Now  prepare 
the  presents,"  and  to  the  other.  "Prepare  the 
jewels." 

And  when  they  were  gone  the  dog  stretched 
himself  on  the  straw,  Childe  Charity  turned  in 
her  sleep,  and  the  moon  shone  in  on  the  back 
garret. 

The  mistress  could  not  close  her  eyes  any 
more  than  the  maid  from  eagerness  to  tell  the 


356    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

story.  She  woke  up  Childe  Charity's  rich  uncle 
before  cock-crow.  But  when  he  heard  it,  he 
laughed  at  her  for  a  foolish  woman,  and  advised 
her  not  to  repeat  the  like  before  the  neighbours, 
lest  they  should  think  she  had  lost  her  senses. 

The  mistress  could  say  no  more,  and  the  day 
passed.  But  that  night  the  master  thought  he 
would  like  to  see  what  went  on  in  the  back  gar- 
ret :  so  when  all  the  house  were  asleep,  he  slipped 
out  of  bed,  and  set  himself  to  watch  at  the  crev- 
ice in  the  door. 

The  same  thing  happened  again  that  the  maid 
and  the  mistress  saw:  the  little  men  in  crimson 
with  their  torches,  and  the  little  ladies  in  rose- 
coloured  velvet  with  their  lamps,  came  in  at  the 
window,  and  made  an  humble  reverence  to  the 
ugly  dog,  the  one  saying,  "Royal  Prince,  we  have 
prepared  the  presents,"  and  the  other,  "Royal 
Prince,  we  have  prepared  the  jewels." 

And  the  dog  said  to  them  all:  "Ye  have  done 
well.  To-morrow  come  and  meet  me  and  the 
Princess  with  horses  and  chariots,  and  let  all 
things  be  in  our  first  fashion :  for  we  will  bring  a 
stranger  from  this  house  who  has  never  travelled 
with  us,  nor  feasted  in  our  halls  before." 

The  little  men  and  the  little  ladies  said:  "Your 
Highness's  commands  shall  be  obeyed." 

When  they  had  gone  out  through  the  window 
the  ugly  dog  stretched  himself  out  on  the  straw, 


THE  STORY  OF  CHILDE  CHARITY    357 

Childe  Charity  turned  in  her  sleep,  and  the  moon 
shone  in  on  the  back  garret. 

The  master  could  not  close  his  eyes  any 
more  than  the  maid  or  the  mistress,  for  thinking 
of  this  strange  sight.  He  remembered  to  have 
heard  his  grandfather  say,  that  somewhere  near 
his  meadows  there  lay  a  path  leading  to  the 
Fairies'  country,  and  the  haymakers  used  to  see 
it  shining  through  the  grey  Summer  morning  as 
the  Fairy  bands  went  home.  Nobody  had  heard 
or  seen  the  like  for  many  years;  but  the  master 
concluded  that  the  doings  in  his  back  garret 
must  be  a  Fairy  business,  and  the  ugly  dog  a 
person  of  great  account.  His  chief  wonder  was, 
however,  what  visitor  the  Fairies  intended  to  take 
from  his  house;  and  after  thinking  the  matter 
over  he  was  sure  it  must  be  one  of  his  daughters 
—  they  were  so  handsome,  and  had  such  fine 
clothes. 

Accordingly,  Childe  Charity's  rich  uncle  made 
it  his  first  business  that  morning  to  get  ready  a 
breakfast  of  roast  mutton  for  the  ugly  dog,  and 
carry  it  to  him  in  the  old  cow-house.  But  not  a 
morsel  would  the  dog  taste.  On  the  contrary,  he 
snarled  at  the  master,  and  would  have  bitten 
him  if  he  had  not  run  away  with  his  mutton. 

"The  Fairies  have  strange  ways,"  said  the 
master  to  himself.  But  he  called  his  daughters 
privately,  bidding  them  dress  themselves  in  their 


358    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

best,  for  he  could  not  say  which  of  them  might 
be  called  into  great  company  before  nightfall. 

Childe  Charity's  proud  cousins,  hearing  this, 
put  on  the  richest  of  their  silks  and  laces,  and 
strutted  like  peacocks  from  kitchen  to  parlour 
all  day,  waiting  for  the  call  their  father  spoke  of, 
while  the  little  girl  scoured  and  scrubbed  in  the 
dairy. 

They  were  in  very  bad  humour  when  night 
fell,  and  nobody  had  come.  But  just  as  the  fam- 
ily were  sitting  down  to  supper  the  ugly  dog 
began  to  bark,  and  the  old  woman's  knock  was 
heard  at  the  back  door.  Childe  Charity  opened 
it,  and  was  going  to  offer  her  bed  and  supper  as 
usual,  when  the  old  woman  said :  — 

"This  is  the  shortest  day  in  all  the  year,  and 
I  am  going  home  to  hold  a  feast  after  my  travels. 
I  see  you  have  taken  good  care  of  my  dog,  and 
now  if  you  will  come  with  me  to  my  house,  he 
and  I  will  do  our  best  to  entertain  you.  Here  is 
our  company." 

As  the  old  woman  spoke  there  was  a  sound 
of  far-off  flutes  and  bugles,  then  a  glare  of  lights; 
and  a  great  company,  clad  so  grandly  that  they 
shone  with  gold  and  jewels,  came  in  open  chariots, 
covered  with  gilding,  and  drawn  by  snow-white 
horses. 

The  first  and  finest  of  the  chariots  was  empty. 
The  old  woman  led  Childe  Charity  to  it  by  the 


THE  STORY  OF  CHILDE  CHARITY    359 

hand,  and  the  ugly  dog  jumped  in  before  her. 
The  proud  cousins,  in  all  their  finery,  had  by  this 
time  come  to  the  door,  but  nobody  wanted  them. 
And  no  sooner  was  the  old  woman  and  her  dog 
within  the  chariot  than  a  marvellous  change 
passed  over  them,  for  the  ugly  old  woman  turned 
at  once  to  a  beautiful  young  Princess,  with  long 
yellow  curls  and  a  robe  of  green  and  gold,  while 
the  ugly  dog  at  her  side  started  up  a  fair  young 
Prince,  with  nut-brown  hair,  and  a  robe  of  pur- 
ple and  silver. 

"We  are,"  said  they,  as  the  chariots  drove 
on,  and  the  little  girl  sat  astonished,  "a  Prince 
and  Princess  of  Fairyland,  and  there  was  a  wager 
between  us  whether  or  not  there  were  good  peo- 
ple still  to  be  found  in  these  false  and  greedy 
times.  One  said  'Yes,'  and  the  other  said  'No'; 
and  I  have  lost,"  said  the  Prince,  "and  must 
pay  the  feast  and  presents." 

Some  of  the  farmer's  household,  who  were 
looking  after  them  through  the  moonlight  night, 
said  the  chariots  had  gone  one  way  across  the 
meadows,  some  said  they  had  gone  another,  and 
till  this  day  they  cannot  agree  upon  the  direc- 
tion. 

But  Childe  Charity  went  with  that  noble  com- 
pany into  a  country  such  as  she  had  never  seen 
—  for  Primroses  covered  all  the  ground,  and  the 
light  was  always  like  that  of  a  Summer  evening. 


360    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

They  took  her  to  a  royal  palace,  where  there  was 
nothing  but  feasting  and  dancing  for  seven  days. 
She  had  robes  of  pale  green  velvet  to  wear,  and 
slept  in  a  chamber  inlaid  with  ivory. 

When  the  feast  was  done,  the  Prince  and  Prin- 
cess gave  her  such  heaps  of  gold  and  jewels  that 
she  could  not  carry  them,  but  they  gave  her  a 
chariot  to  go  home  in,  drawn  by  six  white  horses. 
And  on  the  seventh  night,  which  happened  to  be 
Christmas  time,  when  the  farmer's  family  had 
settled  in  their  own  minds  that  she  would  never 
come  back,  and  were  sitting  down  to  supper, 
they  heard  the  sound  of  her  coachman's  bugle, 
and  saw  her  alight  with  all  the  jewels  and  gold 
at  the  very  back  door  where  she  had  brought  in 
the  ugly  old  woman. 

f  The  Fairy  chariot  drove  away,  and  never  came 
back  to  that  farmhouse  after.  But  Childe  Charity 
scrubbed  and  scoured  no  more,  for  she  grew  a 
great  lady,  even  in  the  eyes  of  her  proud  cousins. 

Frances  Browne 


THE  SHINING  CHILD  AND  THE 
WICKED  MOUCHE 

HOW  THE  RICH  COUSINS  CAME 

Once  upon  a  time  a  noble  but  poor  Count  lived 
in  the  lovely  land  of  Alsace.  He  dwelt  in  a 
charming  little  house  on  a  hill.  All  around  the 
house  the  graceful  trees  stretched  out  their  leafy 
branches  like  arms,  as  if  they  were  saying:  "Wel- 
come! Welcome  among  us!"  Not  far  from  the 
house  was  a  thick  green  wood  filled  with  birds 
and  flowers  and  scented  grasses.  The  good  Count 
did  not  live  alone  in  this  delightful  spot;  no  in- 
deed, his  wife  and  his  two  children,  Fanchon 
and  Frederic,  lived  with  him,  happy  and  con- 
tented. 

Now,  one  Summer  the  news  arrived  that  a 
wealthy  and  distinguished  nobleman,  cousin  of 
the  Count,  was  coming  the  next  day,  with  his 
family,  to  call  upon  his  poor  relatives. 

The  following  morning  the  Countess  got  up 
very  early,  and  baked  a  cake  into  which  she  put 
more  almonds  and  raisins  than  she  ever  put  into 
her  Easter  cakes,  so  that  its  delicious  fragrance 
filled  the  house.  The  Count  dusted  and  brushed 
his   old   green   waistcoat;   while   Fanchon   and 


362    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

Frederic,  dressed  intheir  best  clothes,  sat  waiting 
for  the  guests  to  come. 

"You  must  not  run  about  in  the  wood,  as  you 
usually  do,"  said  the  Count  to  them,  "but  sit 
very  still  so  that  you  will  look  clean  and  neat 
when  your  cousins  arrive." 

So  the  poor  children  were  forced  to  stay  in  the 
house.  The  morning  sun  was  peeping  bright  and 
smiling  from  behind  a  cloud,  and  was  darting 
his  rays  in  at  the  window.  Out  in  the  wood 
the  breeze  was  blowing  sweet  and  fresh,  and 
the  robins,  the  thrushes,  the  goldfinches,  and  the 
nightingales,  were  all  warbling  their  loveliest 
songs.  Poor  Fanchon  sat  still  and  listened,  some- 
times smoothing  the  bow  on  her  pink  sash,  and 
sometimes  knitting  a  bit,  and  all  the  while  long- 
ing to  run  away  to  the  wood.  As  for  Frederic, 
he  was  looking  at  a  picture  book,  but  he  kept 
jumping  up  every  minute  to  gaze  out  at  the  win- 
dow; for  the  big  house  dog  Pepin  was  barking 
and  bounding  before  the  window,  as  if  to  say: 
"Aren't  you  coming  out?  What  in  the  world 
are  you  doing  in  that  stuffy  room?" 

And  so  Fanchon  and  Frederic  had  to  remain 
in  the  house;  and  this  was  all  the  more  painful, 
because  the  company-cake,  which  was  on  the 
table,  gave  out  the  most  delicious  spicy  odours, 
yet  might  not  be  cut  until  the  cousins  came. 
"Oh!  that  they  would  only  come!  —  would  only 


THE  SHINING  CHILD  363 

come!"  the  children  cried,  and  almost  wept  with 
impatience. 

At  last  the  loud  tramping  of  horses  was  heard, 
and  the  rumble  of  wheels,  then  a  carriage  ap- 
proached, so  brilliant  and  so  covered  with  golden 
ornaments  that  the  children  were  amazed,  for 
they  had  never  seen  anything  like  it.  The  car- 
riage stopped  before  the  house,  and  a  very  tall, 
thin  gentleman  glided  out  with  the  help  of  a 
footman,  and  fell  into  the  arms  of  the  Count,  to 
whose  cheek  he  gently  pressed  his  lips.  Then 
the  footman  aided  a  stout,  red-faced  woman  to 
alight,  while  two  children,  a  boy  and  a  girl, 
stepped  languidly  down  after  her. 

When  they  were  all  safely  in  the  house,  Fan- 
chon  and  Frederic  came  forward  and  curtsied 
politely,  as  their  father  had  told  them  to  do. 
Then  each  seized  a  hand  of  the  tall  gentle- 
man, saying:  "We  are  glad  you  are  come,  noble 
Cousin!"  After  which  they  permitted  the  red- 
faced  lady  to  embrace  them;  then  they  went 
up  to  the  children,  but  stood  before  them  silent 
and  amazed.  Indeed,  these  rich  children  were 
wonderfully  dressed!  The  boy  wore  a  little 
jacket  of  scarlet  cloth,  embroidered  with  gold 
and  ornamented  with  gold  tassels.  A  bright 
little  sword  hung  at  his  side.  On  his  head  was  a 
curious  red  cap  with  a  white  feather,  from  under 
which  peeped  his  yellow  face  and  bleared  eyes. 


364    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

The  little  girl  had  on  a  white  dress  all  ribbons, 
lace,  and  bows,  and  her  hair  was  frizzled  and 
curled  into  a  knot,  on  top  of  which  was  a  shining 
coronet.  Fanchon  plucked  up  courage,  and  was 
going  to  take  the  little  girl's  hand,  but  she 
snatched  it  away  in  such  a  hurry  and  looked  so 
tearful  and  angry,  that  Fanchon  was  frightened 
and  let  her  alone. 

Frederic  wished  to  have  a  closer  look  at  the 
boy's  sword,  and  put  out  his  hand  to  touch  it, 
when  the  youngster  began  to  shout  and  cry: 
"My  sword!  My  sword!  He  is  going  to  take 
my  sword!"  and  ran  to  his  father  and  hid  be- 
hind him. 

After  that  Fanchon  and  Frederic  stood  back 
quietly,  while  their  mother  cut  the  cake,  and  the 
older  people  talked.  The  two  rich  children  sat 
munching  dry  crackers,  for  their  parents  said 
that  cake  was  not  good  for  them.  But  Fanchon 
and  Frederic  each  had  a  large  slice,  which  their 
dear  mother  gave  them. 

After  they  had  finished  eating,  the  guests 
arose  to  say  good-bye,  and  the  glittering  carriage 
was  driven  to  the  door.  The  footman  took  from 
it  two  large  bandboxes.  These,  the  rich  children 
handed  with  condescending  pride,  to  Fanchon 
and  Frederic.  And  just  as  the  guests  were  about 
to  take  their  leave,  the  dog  Pepin,  Frederic's 
faithful  friend  and  darling,  came  dancing  and 


THE  SHINING  CHILD  365 

barking  around  them.  The  rich  children  screamed, 
and  had  to  be  lifted,  kicking  with  fright,  into  the 
carriage,  which  immediately  drove  away. 

So  ended  the  visit  of  these  wealthy,  distin- 
guished, and  noble  cousins. 


THE  NEW  PLAYTHINGS 

After  the  carriage  containing  the  wealthy 
cousins  had  rolled  down  the  hill,  the  Count  threw 
off  his  green  waistcoat,  and  put  on  his  loose 
jacket,  and  ran  his  fingers  through  his  hair.  The 
children,  too,  quickly  got  out  of  their  best  clothes, 
and  felt  light  and  happy. 

"To  the  wood!  To  the  wood!"  shouted  Fred- 
eric, jumping  as  high  as  he  could  for  joy. 

"But  don't  you  wish  to  see  what  is  in  these 
handsome  bandboxes  your  cousins  gave  you?" 
asked  his  mother. 

And  Fanchon,  who  had  been  gazing  at  the  band- 
boxes with  longing  eyes,  cried  out:  "Can't  we 
open  them  first,  and  go  to  the  wood  afterward?" 

But  Frederic  was  hard  to  convince.  "Surely 
that  stupid  boy  could  not  have  brought  any- 
thing worth  while,"  said  he  scornfully,  "nor  his 
ribbony  sister!  He  talked  so  boldly  about  bears 
and  lions,  but  when  my  dear  Pepin  barked,  he 
forgot  his  sword  and  hid  under  the  table!  A 
brave  sportsman  he!" 


366    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

"Oh,  dear,  good  brother!"  cried  Fanchon,  "just 
let  us  take  one  peep  at  what  is  in  the  boxes ! " 

So  Frederic,  who  always  did  what  he  could  to 
please  his  sister,  gave  up  the  idea  of  being  off  to 
the  wood  at  once,  and  sat  down  patiently  beside 
the  table  where  the  bandboxes  were. 

The  mother  opened  them  —  and  then  —  oh, 
my  dear  readers,  if  you  could  have  seen  what 
lay  within!  The  loveliest  toys  were  in  those 
boxes!  and  candies,  and  sweet  cakes,  and  nuts! 
The  children  clapped  their  hands  again  and 
again,  crying:  "Oh,  how  nice!  Oh,  how  deli- 
cious!" 

They  took  them  all  out  of  the  boxes,  and  piled 
them  on  the  table.  None  of  the  toys  caused 
Frederic  such  satisfaction  as  did  a  little  hunter 
who,  when  a  string  that  stuck  out  from  his 
jacket  was  pulled,  put  a  gun  to  his  shoulder, 
and  fired  at  a  target.  Next  to  him  in  Frederic's 
affections,  was  a  little  fellow  who  bowed,  and 
twanged  on  a  harp,  whenever  Frederic  turned 
a  tiny  handle.  And,  what  pleased  him  nearly  as 
much,  was  a  shotgun  of  wood  and  a  hunting 
pouch  and  belt. 

Fanchon  was  equally  delighted  with  a  beau- 
tiful doll,  a  trunk  filled  with  dolPs  dresses,  tiny 
shoes,  hats,  and  other  lovely  clothes,  and  a  set 
of  charming  doll's  furniture. 

The  two  children  forgot  all  about  the  wood, 


THE  SHINING  CHILD  367 

and  enjoyed  themselves  with  their  playthings 
until  quite  late  in  the  evening.  They  then  went 
to  bed  and  slept  soundly. 


WHAT  HAPPENED  TO  THE  PLAYTHINGS  IN 
THE  WOOD 

The  next  morning,  the  children  got  their  boxes 
and  took  out  the  playthings,  and  began  to  play. 
Then,  just  as  on  the  day  before,  the  sun  shone 
brightly  in  at  the  window,  the  trees  rustled  in 
the  breeze,  and  the  birds  sang  their  loveliest 
songs.   At  last  Frederic  cried  out:  — 

"Why  do  we  sit  here  in  this  stuffy  room?  I'll 
tell  you  what  we'll  do!  Come,  Fanchon,  let  us 
be  off  to  the  wood!" 

Fanchon  had  just  undressed  her  doll,  and  was 
going  to  put  it  to  bed.  "  Why  can't  we  stay  here?  " 
she  begged,  "and  play  a  little  longer,  Frederic?" 

"I'll  tell  you  what  we'll  do,"  he  replied. 
"We'll  take  our  toys  out  to  the  wood.  I'll  put 
on  my  pouch  and  belt,  and  carry  my  gun.  I  '11  be 
a  real  sportsman !  The  hunter  and  the  harper  may 
come,  too.  And  you  may  take  your  doll.  Come 
along!  Let's  be  off!" 

Fanchon  hastened  to  dress  her  doll,  then  they 
both  ran  out  of  the  house,  and  off  to  the  wood. 
There  they  sat  down  on  a  nice  grassy  spot.  And 
after  they  had  played  a  while,  Fanchon  said:  — 


368    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

"Do  you  know,  Frederic,  that  harper  of  yours 
does  not  play  very  well.  Just  listen  how  funny 
his  harp  sounds  out  here  in  the  wood  —  with 
that  eternal  ting!  ting!  ping!  ping!" 

Frederic  turned  the  handle  more  violently. 
"You're  right,  Fanchon,"  said  he.  "What  the 
little  fellow  plays  sounds  quite  horrible.  He 
must  make  a  better  job  of  it!" 

And  with  that  he  unscrewed  the  handle  with 
such  force,  that  —  crack!  crack!  —  the  box  on 
which  the  harper  stood  flew  into  a  thousand 
splinters,  and  the  arms  of  the  little  fellow  were 
broken  and  hung  useless  at  his  sides. 

"Oh!  Oh!"  cried  Frederic. 

"Ah,  the  poor  little  harper!"  sighed  Fanchon. 

"Well,  he  was  a  stupid  creature!"  said  Fred- 
eric. "He  played  very  poor  music,  and  bowed, 
and  made  faces  like  our  yellow-faced  cousin  who 
gave  him  to  us."  And  as  Frederic  spoke,  he 
threw  the  harper  into  a  thicket. 

"What  I  like,  is  my  hunter,"  he  continued. 
"He  hits  the  bull's  eye  every  time  he  fires."  And 
with  that  Frederic  jerked  the  string  so  violently 
that  —  twang!  twang!  —  the  target  was  broken 
and  the  little  man's  arms  hung  limp  and  motion- 
less. 

"Ah!  Ah!"  cried  Frederic.  "You  could  shoot 
at  your  target  in-doors,  but  out  here,  you  can't 
shoot  at  all!"    And  so  saying,  Frederic,  with  all 


THE  SHINING  CHILD  369 

his  might,  shied  the  hunter  after  the  harper  into 
the  thicket. 

"Come,  let  us  run  about  a  bit,"  said  he  to 
Fanchon. 

"Ah,  yes!  let  us,"  said  she.  "This  lovely  doll 
of  mine  shall  run  with  us.   It  will  be  great  fun!" 

So  Fanchon  and  Frederic  took  each  an  arm 
of  the  doll,  and  off  they  ran  through  the  bushes, 
on  and  on,  until  they  came  to  a  small  lake.  There 
they  stopped,  and  Frederic  said :  — 

"Suppose  we  wait  a  minute.  I  have  a  gun 
now,  and  perhaps  I  may  hit  a  duck  among  the 
rushes." 

At  that  moment,  Fanchon  screamed  out:  "Oh! 
just  look  at  my  doll!  What's  the  matter  with 
her?" 

Indeed,  the  poor  thing  was  in  a  miserable  con- 
dition. Neither  Fanchon  nor  Frederic  had  been 
paying  any  attention  to  her,  and  the  bushes  had 
torn  all  the  clothes  off  her  back;  both  her  legs 
were  broken;  while  her  pretty  waxen  face  was 
covered  with  so  many  scratches  that  it  was 
hideous  to  look  at. 

"Oh!  my  beautiful,  beautiful  child!"  sobbed 
Fanchon. 

"There,  you  see  what  a  stupid  creature  that 
doll  of  yours  is!"  cried  Frederic.  "She  can't  even 
take  a  little  run,  but  she  must  tear  and  spoil  her 
clothes!  Give  her  to  me!" 


370    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

And  before  Fanchon  could  say  a  word,  or  cry: 
"Oh!  Oh!"  Frederic  snatched  the  doll,  and  flung 
her  into  the  lake. 

"Never  mind,  Fanchon!"  said  he  consolingly. 
"Never  mind,  if  I  can  shoot  a  duck,  you  shall 
have  the  most  beautiful  wing-feathers." 

Just  then  a  noise  was  heard  among  the  rushes, 
and  Frederic  instantly  took  aim  with  his  wooden 
gun.  But  he  dropped  it  quickly  from  his  shoulder, 
saying:  — 

"Am  I  not  an  idiot!  How  can  a  fellow  shoot  a 
duck  without  powder  and  shot?  What's  the  use 
of  this  stupid  wooden  thing,  anyway?"  With 
that  he  flung  the  gun  and  his  pouch  and  belt 
into  the  lake. 

But  poor  Fanchon  was  weeping  at  the  loss  of 
her  doll,  and  Frederic  was  annoyed  at  the  way 
things  had  turned  out,  so  they  both  crept  back 
sadly  to  the  house.  And  when  their  mother 
asked  them  what  had  become  of  the  playthings, 
Frederic  truthfully  related  how  they  had  been 
deceived  by  the  harper,  the  hunter,  the  doll,  and 
all. 

"Ah!  you  foolish  children!"  cried  their  mother 
half  in  anger,  "you  do  not  deserve  to  have  nice 
toys!" 

But  the  Count,  who  had  been  listening  to 
Frederic's  tale,  said:  "Let  the  children  alone.  I 
am  really  glad  that  they  are  fairly  rid  of  those 


THE  SHINING  CHILD  371 

playthings.    There  was  something  queer  about 
them." 

But   neither  the   children   nor  their   mother 
understood  what  the  Count  meant. 


THE  STRANGER  CHILD 

Soon  after  these  events  very  early  one  morn- 
ing Fanchon  and  Frederic  ran  off  to  the  wood. 
They  were  feeling  sad,  for  their  mother  had  told 
them  that  they  must  return  home  soon  to  study, 
so  as  to  be  ready  for  the  tutor  that  their  rich 
cousin  had  promised  to  send  them.  For  the  tutor 
was  expected  shortly. 

"Let  us  run  and  jump  as  much  as  we  can  now," 
said  Frederic,  when  they  reached  the  wood,  "for 
in  a  little  while  we  shall  not  be  allowed  to  stay 
out  here  at  all!" 

So  they  began  to  play  hide-and-seek,  but  every- 
thing went  wrong.  The  wind  carried  Frederic's 
hat  into  the  bushes.  He  stumbled  and  fell  on  his 
nose  as  he  was  running.  Fanchon  found  herself 
hanging  by  her  clothes  on  a  thorn-tree,  and  she 
banged  her  foot  against  a  sharp  stone  so  that  she 
shrieked  with  pain.  In  fact  the  children  could 
not  understand  what  was  the  matter  with  them 
on  this  particular  day;  and  they  gave  up  their 
game,  and  slunk  dejectedly  through  the  wood. 
Frederic  threw  himself  down  under  a  shady  tree, 


372    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

and  Fanchon  followed  his  example.  And  there 
the  two  children  lay  gloomy  and  wretched,  gaz- 
ing on  the  ground. 

"Ah!"  said  Fanchon,  "if  we  only  had  our  play- 
things!" 

"Nonsense!"  said  Frederic,  "what  should  we 
do  with  them?  I'll  tell  you  what  it  is,  Fanchon, 
Mother  is  right,  I  suspect.  The  toys  were  good 
enough,  but  we  did  n't  know  how  to  play  with 
them.  If  we  were  as  learned  as  our  rich  cousins, 
we  should  be  so  wise  that  all  our  toys  would 
now  be  whole;  and  we  should  know  how  to  play 
with  them  rightly." 

*  And  at  that  Fanchon  began  to  sob  and  cry 
bitterly,  and  Frederic  joined  her;  and  they  both 
howled  and  lamented  until  the  wood  rang  again 
and  again:  "Oh!  poor,  unfortunate  children  that 
we  are !  Oh !  that  we  were  as  wise  as  our  cousins ! " 
But  suddenly  they  both  stopped  crying,  and 
asked  each  other  in  amazement:  — 
"Do  you  hear  anything,  Fanchon?" 
"Do  you  hear  anything,  Frederic?" 
For  out  of  the  deepest  shade  of  the  dark  thicket 
in  front  of  the  children,  a  wonderful  brightness 
began  to  shine,  playing  like  moonlight  over  the 
leaves  that  trembled  as  if  in  joy.  Then  through 
the  whispering  trees  came  a  sweet  musical  note, 
like  the  sound  of  a  harp.   The  children  lay  mo- 
tionless with  awe.  All  their  sorrow  passed  away 


THE  SHINING  CHILD  373 

from  them,  and  tender,  happy  tears  rose  into 
their  eyes. 

As  the  radiance  streamed  brighter  and  brighter 
through  the  bushes,  and  the  marvellous  music 
grew  louder  and  louder,  the  children's  hearts 
beat  high.  They  gazed  eagerly  at  the  brightness. 
Then  they  saw,  smiling  at  them  from  the  thicket, 
the  most  beautiful  face  of  a  child,  with  the  sun 
beaming  on  it  in  splendour. 

"Oh!  come  to  us!  —  Come  to  us!  —  darling 
Shining  Child!"  cried  Fanchon  and  Frederic, 
stretching  out  their  arms;  and  their  hearts  were 
filled  with  an  indescribable  longing. 

"I  am  coming!  I  am  coming!"  a  sweet  voice 
cried  from  the  bushes. 

And  then,  as  if  borne  on  the  wings  of  the  breeze, 
the  Stranger  Child  seemed  to  float  hovering 
toward  Fanchon  and  Frederic. 


HOW  THE  SHINING  CHILD  PLAYED  WITH 
FANCHON  AND  FREDERIC 

"What  is  the  matter,  dear  children?"  asked 
the  Stranger  Child.  "I  heard  you  crying  and 
lamenting,  and  I  was  very  sorry  for  you!  What 
do  you  want?" 

"Ah!"  said  Frederic,  "we  did  not  know  what 
we  wanted;  but  now  I  see  that  we  wanted  you  — 
just  you  yourself!" 


374    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

"That's  it!"  chimed  in  Fanchon.  "Now  that 
you  are  with  us,  we  are  happy  again!  Why  were 
you  so  long  in  coming?" 

In  fact  both  children  felt  as  if  they  had  known 
and  played  with  the  Stranger  Child  all  their 
lives,  and  that  their  unhappiness  had  been  be- 
cause their  beloved  playmate  was  not  with  them. 

"You  see,"  Frederic  added,  "we  have  no  toys 
left,  for  I,  like  a  stupid  dolt,  broke  all  our  fine 
things,  and  shied  them  into  the  thicket." 

At  this  the  Stranger  Child  laughed  merrily, 
and  cried:  "Why,  Fanchon  and  Frederic,  you 
are  lying  this  minute  among  the  loveliest  play- 
things that  ever  were  seen!" 

"Where?  —  Where  are  they?"  Fanchon  and 
Frederic  both  cried. 

"Look  around  you,"  said  the  Stranger  Child. 

Then  Fanchon  and  Frederic  saw  how  out  of 
the  thick  grass  and  moss  all  sorts  of  glorious 
flowers  were  peeping,  with  bright  eyes  gleaming. 
And  between  them  many  coloured  stones  and 
crystal  shells  sparkled  and  shone.  While  little 
golden  insects  danced  up  and  down  humming 
gentle  songs. 

"Now  we  will  build  a  palace!"  said  the  Stran- 
ger Child.  "Help  me  to  get  the  stones  together." 
And  it  stooped  down  and  began  to  pick  up 
stones  of  many  pretty  colours. 

Fanchon  and  Frederic  helped,  and  the  Stran- 


THE  SHINING  CHILD  375 

ger  Child  placed  the  beautiful  stones  one  upon 
another,  and  soon  there  rose  tall  pillars  shining 
in  the  sun,  while  an  airy  golden  roof  stretched 
itself  from  pillar  to  pillar.  Then  the  Stranger 
Child  kissed  the  flowers  that  were  peeping  from 
the  grass,  and  whispered  to  them  lovingly,  and 
they  shot  up  higher  and  higher,  and,  twining 
together,  formed  sweet-scented  arbours  and  cov- 
ered walks  in  which  the  children  danced  about, 
full  of  delight  and  gladness. 

The  Stranger  Child  clapped  its  hands,  and 
immediately  the  golden  roof,  that  was  made  of 
insects'  golden  wings,  fell  to  pieces  with  a  hum, 
and  the  pillars  melted  away  into  a  splashing 
silver  stream,  on  whose  banks  flowers  grew  and 
peeped  into  the  water. 

Then  the.  Stranger  Child  plucked  little  blades 
of  grass  and  gathered  twigs  from  trees,  strewing 
them  on  the  ground  before  Fanchon  and  Fred- 
eric. The  blades  of  grass  turned  into  the  prettiest 
little  live  dolls  ever  seen,  and  the  twigs  became 
gay  little  huntsmen. 

The  dolls  danced  around  Fanchon,  and  let  her 
take  them  in  her  lap,  and  they  whispered  in  such 
delicate  little  voices:  "Be  kind  to  us!  Love  us, 
dear  Fanchon." 

The  huntsmen  shouted:  "Halloa!  Halloa! 
the  hunt's  up!"  and  blew  their  horns,  and  bus- 
tled about.    Then  tiny  hares  came  darting  out 


376    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

of  the  bushes,  with  tiny  dogs  after  them,  and  the 
huntsmen  pursued  them  with  shouts.  This  was 
delightful! 

Then  suddenly  these  wonders  disappeared. 
And  Fanchon  and  Frederic  cried  out:  "What  has 
become  of  the  dolls?  Where  are  the  huntsmen?" 

The  Stranger  Child  answered:  "Oh,  they  are 
always  here  waiting  for  you!  They  are  close  be- 
side you,  so  you  may  have  them  at  any  minute. 
But  just  now  would  you  not  rather  go  with  me 
through  the  wood?" 

"Oh,  yes!  yes!"  cried  Fanchon  and  Frederic. 

The  Stranger  Child  took  hold  of  their  hands, 
crying:  "Come!  Come!" 

And  with  that  off  they  went!  The  children 
felt  themselves  floating  along  lightly  and  easily, 
through  the  trees;  while  all  the  birds  flew  flut- 
tering beside  them,  singing  and  warbling  their 
sweetest  songs.  Then  suddenly  up  they  soared 
into  the  air.  Higher  and  higher  they  mounted 
like  birds,  skimming  above  the  tops  of  the  trees. 
Frederic  shouted  with  delight,  but  Fanchon  was 
frightened. 

"Oh,  my  breath  is  going!  I  shall  tumble!" 
she  cried. 

And  just  at  that  moment  the  Stranger  Child 
let  them  down  gently  to  the  ground,  and  said: 
"Now  I  shall  sound  my  Forest-Song.  Then 
good-bye  for  to-day." 


THE  SHINING  CHILD  377 

And  the  Stranger  Child  took  out  a  little  horn 
of  wreathed  gold,  and  began  to  sound  it  so 
beautifully  that  the  whole  wood  reechoed  won- 
drously  with  its  lovely  music;  while  a  host  of 
nightingales  came  flocking  to  the  branches  above 
the  children's  heads,  and  sang  their  most  melo- 
dious songs. 

&  But  all  at  once  the  music  grew  fainter  and 
fainter,-  and  only  a  soft  whispering  seemed  to 
come  from  the  thicket  into  which  the  Stranger 
Child  had  vanished. 

"To-morrow!  To-morrow!  I  will  come  again!" 
the  children  heard  breathed  gently  as  if  from  a 
distance.  Then  they  sighed  with  joy,  for,  though 
they  could  not  understand  it,  never  had  they 
known  such  happiness  in  all  their  lives. 

"Oh!  I  wish  it  was  to-morrow,  now!"  they 
both  cried,  as  they  hastened  home  to  their  par- 
ents. 


HOW  THE  FOREST  TALKED  TO  FANCHON 
AND  FREDERIC 

"I  should  fancy  that  the  children  had  dreamed 
all  this,"  said  the  Count  to  his  wife,  when  Fan- 
chon  and  Frederic,  who  could  think  of  nothing 
else  but  the  Stranger  Child,  and  the  wonderful 
events,  and  the  exquisite  music,  had  told  all  that 
had  happened.    "I  should  fancy  that  they  had 


378    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

dreamed  all  this,  if  they  had  not  both  seen  the 
same  things!  I  cannot  get  to  the  bottom  of  it 
all!" 

"Don't  bother  your  head  about  it,  my  dear," 
answered  his  wife.  "I  think  this  Stranger  Child 
was  nobody  but  the  schoolmaster's  son  from  the 
village.  We  must  take  care  that  he  is  not  al- 
lowed to  put  any  more  such  nonsense  into  the 
children's  heads." 

But  the  Count  could  not  agree  with  her,  for 
he  called  the  children  to  him  again,  to  tell  how 
the  Stranger  Child  was  dressed  and  looked. 
Fanchon  and  Frederic  both  agreed  that  its  face 
was  fair  as  lilies,  that  it  had  cheeks  like  roses, 
cherry  lips,  bright  blue  eyes,  and  locks  of  gold; 
and  that  it  was  more  beautiful  than  words  could 
tell. 

But  what  they  said  about  its  dress  sounded 
absurd.  For  Fanchon  said  that  its  dress  was 
wondrous  beautiful,  shining  and  gleaming,  as  if 
made  of  the  petals  of  flowers;  while  Frederic 
insisted  that  its  garments  were  of  sparkling 
golden-green,  like  spring-leaves  in  the  sunshine. 

And  Frederic  thought  that  the  Stranger  Child 
was  a  boy;  while  Fanchon  was  sure  that  it  was 
a  girl.  And  these  contradictions  confused  their 
parents;  and  the  Count  shook  his  head  wonder- 
ingly. 

The  next  day,  Fanchon  and  Frederic  hastened 


THE  SHINING  CHILD  379 

to  the  wood,  and  found  the  Stranger  Child  wait- 
ing for  them.  If  their  play  had  been  glorious  the 
day  before,  it  was  ten  times  more  glorious  to- 
day; for  the  Stranger  Child  did  such  marvellous 
things  that  Fanchon  and  Frederic  shouted  for 
joy. 

While  they  played,  the  Stranger  Child  talked 
sweetly  to  the  trees,  flowers,  and  birds,  and  to 
the  brook  that  ran  through  the  wood;  and  they 
all  answered  so  clearly  that  Fanchon  and  Fred- 
eric understood  everything  they  said. 

"Dear  children!"  cried  the  Alder-thicket, 
"why  were  you  not  here  early,  when  my  friend 
the  Morning  Breeze  came  rustling  over  the  blue 
hills,  and  brought  us  thousands  of  greetings  and 
kisses  from  the  Golden  Queen  of  the  Dawn,  and 
plenty  of  wing- waf tings  full  of  sweet  perfumes!" 

"Oh  silence!"  the  flowers  broke  in.  "Do  not 
mention  that  robber,  the  Morning  Breeze!  Does 
he  not  steal  our  perfumes!  Never  mind  the 
Alders,  children,  let  them  lisp  and  whisper.  Lis- 
ten to  us !  We  love  you  so !  We  dress  ourselves  in 
the  loveliest  colours  just  for  you!" 

"And  do  we  not  love  you,  you  beautiful  flow- 
ers!" said  the  Stranger  Child  tenderly. 

But  Fanchon  knelt  down  on  the  grass,  and 
stretched  out  her  arms,  as  if  she  would  take  all 
the  bright  flowers  to  her  heart,  and  cried:  "Ah! 
I  love  you!  I  love  you  every  one!" 


380    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

Then  came  a  sighing  out  of  the  tall  dark  firtrees, 
and  they  said:  "We  shade  the  flowers  from  the 
hot  sun,  and  shelter  human  children  when  the 
storm  comes  rushing  through  the  woods,  but 
who  loves  us  in  return?" 

"Groan  and  sigh,"  cried  Frederic,  "and  mur- 
mur as  much  as  you  like,  you  green  giants  that 
you  are!  It  is  then  that  the  real  woodsman's 
heart  rejoices  in  you!  I  love  all,  the  green  bushes, 
the  flowers,  and  you  trees ! " 

"You  are  quite  right!"  splashed  the  brook  as 
it  sparkled  over  its  stones.  "Come  sit  down 
among  this  moss,  dear  children,  and  listen  to  me. 
I  come  from  afar;  out  of  a  deep,  cool,  dark  rock 
I  gush.  Look  into  my  waves,  and  I  will  show 
you  the  loveliest  pictures  in  my  clear  mirror, 
the  blue  of  the  sky,  the  fleecy  clouds,  bushes, 
trees,  and  blossoms;  and  your  very  selves,  dear 
children,  I  draw  tenderly  into  my  transparent 
bosom!" 

"Fanchon  and  Frederic,"  said  the  Stranger 
Child,  looking  around  with  wondrous  blissful- 
ness.  "Only  listen  how  they  all  love  us!  But  the 
redness  of  evening  is  rising  behind  the  hills,  and 
the  nightingale  is  calling  me  home!"  t   ' 

"Oh,  but  first  let  us  fly  a  little,  as  we  did  yes- 
terday!" begged  Frederic. 

"Yes,"  said  Fanchon,  "but  not  quite  so  high. 
It  makes  my  head  giddy." 


THE  SHINING  CHILD  381 

Then  the  Stranger  Child  took  them  each  by 
the  hand  again,  and  they  went  soaring  up  into 
the  golden  purple  of  the  evening  sky,  while  the 
birds  crowded  and  sang  around  them. 

Among  the  shining  clouds,  Frederic  saw,  as  if 
in  wavering  flame,  beautiful  castles  all  of  rubies 
and  other  precious  stones. 

"Look!  Look!  Fanchon!"  he  cried,  full  of  rap- 
ture. "Look  at  those  splendid  palaces!  Let  us 
fly  along  as  fast  as  we  can,  and  we  shall  soon  get 
to  them." 

Fanchon,  too,  saw  the  castles,  and  forgot  her 
fear,  and  kept  looking  upward. 

"Those  are  my  beloved  castles-in-the-air," 
the  Stranger  Child  said.  "But  we  must  go  no 
farther  to-day!" 

Fanchon  and  Frederic  seemed  to  be  in  a  dream, 
and  could  not  make  out  how  they  suddenly  came 
to  find  themselves  with  their  father  and  mother. 


THE  PALACE  OF  THE  FAIRY  QUEEN 

It  was  the  next  day.  In  the  most  beautiful 
part  of  the  wood  beside  the  brook,  between  whis- 
pering bushes,  the  Stranger  Child  had  set  up  a 
glorious  tent  made  of  tall  slender  lilies,  glowing 
roses,  and  tulips  of  every  hue.  And  beneath  this 
tent,  Fanchon  and  Frederic  were  seated  with  the 
Stranger  Child,  listening  to  the  forest  brook  as 


382    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

it  whirled,  and  rippled,  and  sang  its  wonderful 
stories.  fa 

"Tell  us,"  said  Fanchon,  "darling  Shining 
Child,  where  your  home  is,  and  all  about  your 
father  and  mother." 

The  Stranger  Child  looked  sorrowfully  at  the 
sky.  "Ah,  my  dear,"  it  said  with  a  sigh,  "is  it 
not  enough  that  I  come  to  you  each  day?  Why 
must  you  then  ask  about  my  home?  Though  you 
•were  to  travel  day  after  day,  forever  and  ever, 
even  to  beyond  the  utmost  range  of  the  purple 
hills,  you  could  not  reach  it!" 

"Ah  me!"  sighed  Fanchon.  "Then  you  must 
live  hundreds  and  hundreds  of  miles  away  from 
us!  Is  it  only  on  a  visit  that  you  are  here?" 

"Fanchon,  beloved,"  said  the  Stranger  Child, 
"whenever  you  long  for  me  with  all  your  heart, 
I  am  with  you  immediately,  bringing  you  all 
those  plays  and  wonders.  Is  that  not  as  good  as 
being  in  my  home?" 

"Not  at  all,"  said  Frederic,  "for  I  believe 
that  you  live  in  a  most  glorious  place.  I  do  not 
care  how  hard  the  road  is  to  your  home,  I  mean 
to  set  out  this  minute  for  it." 

"And  so  you  shall!"  said  the  Stranger  Child 
smiling;  "for  when  you  see  all  this  so  clearly  be- 
fore you,  and  make  up  your  mind  to  be  there,  it 
is  as  good  as  done!  The  land  where  I  live,  in 
truth,  is  so  beautiful  and  glorious  that  I  can  give 


THE  SHINING  CHILD  383 

you  no  description  of  it.  It  is  my  mother  who 
reigns  over  that  land,  —  all  glory  and  loveliness 
—  as  Queen." 

"Ah!  you  are  a  Prince!"  cried  Frederic. 

"Ah!  you  are  a  Princess!"  cried  Fanchon. 

"I  certainly  am,"  said  the  Stranger  Child. 
"My  mother's  palace  is  far  more  beautiful  than 
those  glittering  castles  you  saw  in  the  evening 
clouds.  For  the  gleaming  pillars  of  her  palace 
are  of  the  purest  crystal,  and  they  soar  slender 
and  tall  into  the  blue  of  heaven.  Upon  them  rests 
a  great,  wide  blue  canopy.  Beneath  the  canopy 
sail  the  shining  white  clouds,  hither  and  thither 
on  golden  wings.  And  the  red  of  the  evening  and 
the  morning  rises  and  falls,  and  the  sparkling 
stars  dance  in  a  singing  circle  around  her  palace. 

"You  have  heard  of  the  Fairies  who  can  bring 
about  great  wonders.  My  mother  is  Queen  of 
the  Fairies.  Very  often  she  holds  a  feast  for  little 
children.  It  is  then  that  the  Elves,  belonging  to 
my  mother's  Kingdom,  fly  through  the  air  weav- 
ing shining  rainbows  from  one  end  of  her  palace 
to  the  other.  Under  these  rainbows  they  build 
my  mother's  diamond  throne,  —  that  in  appear- 
ance and  perfume  is  like  lilies,  roses,  and  carna- 
tions. 

"My  mother  takes  her  place  upon  the  throne, 
and  the  Elves  sing,  and  play  on  golden  harps. 
As  soon  as  their  music  begins,  everything  in  the 


386    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

children  climbed  the  rose-trees,  he  dragged  them 
down  by  the  legs.  Then  he  knocked  their  noses 
on  the  ground,  and  made  them  bleed.  When 
the  children  sang,  he  crammed  all  sorts  of  nasty 
stuff  down  their  throats;  for  sweet  and  happy 
singing  he  could  not  abide.  And  worst  of  all,  he 
had  a  way  of  smearing  the  sparkling  precious 
stones  of  the  palace,  and  the  lilies  and  roses,  and 
even  the  shining  rainbows,  with  a  horrible  black 
juice,  so  that  everything  beautiful  became  sor- 
rowful or  dead. 

"And  when  he  had  done  all  this,  he  gave  a 
loud  hissing  laugh,  and  said  that  everything 
was  now  as  he  wished  it  to  be.  Then,  shouting 
that  he  was  greater  than  my  mother,  he  went 
flying  up  into  the  air,  in  the  shape  of  an  enormous 
fly  with  flashing  eyes,  and  a  long  snout.  After 
which  he  went  humming  and  buzzing  around  my 
mother's  throne,  in  a  most  abominable  fashion. 

"When  the  Queen  my  mother  and  her  Elves 
saw  this,  they  knew  that  he  had  come  among 
them  under  a  false  name,  and  that  he  was  none 
other  than  Mouche,  the  gloomy  King  of  the 
Gnomes.  The  entire  Fairy  Court  thereupon 
rushed  against  him  beating  him  with  their  wings, 
while  the  Purple  Birds  seized  him  with  their 
glittering  beaks  and  gripped  him  so  tightly  that 
he  screamed  with  agony  and  rage.  After  which 
the  birds  shook  him  violently,  and  threw  him 


THE  SHINING  CHILD  387 

down  to  the  earth.  He  fell  straight  onto  the 
back  of  his  old  Aunt,  who  was  a  great  blue  toad. 
And  she  carried  him  off  to  her  hole. 

"But  five  hundred  of  the  children  in  the  Fairy 
Court  armed  themselves  with  fly-flappers,  to 
defend  themselves  against  Mouche  if  he  should 
ever  venture  to  return.  Now  after  he  was  gone, 
all  the  black  juice  disappeared,  and  everything 
became  as  shining  and  glorious  as  before. 

"So  you  see,  dear  Children,"  continued  the 
Stranger  Child,  "what  kind  of  a  creature  I  have 
to  fear.  This  horrible  Mouche  follows  me  about, 
and,  if  I  did  not  hide  myself  quickly,  he  would 
injure  me.  And  I  assure  you  that  if  I  were  to 
take  you  with  me  to  my  home,  Mouche  would 
lie  in  wait  for  us,  and  kill  us." 

Fanchon  wept  bitterly  at  the  danger  to  which 
the  Stranger  Child  was  exposed.  But  Frederic 
said:  "If  that  horrible  Mouche  is  nothing  but  a 
great  fly,  I'll  soon  hit  him  with  father's  big  fly- 
flapper!  And  if  once  I  give  him  a  good  crack  on 
his  nose,  Aunty  Blue  Toad  will  have  a  job  carry- 
ing him  to  her  hole  again!" 


HOW  TUTOR  INK  ARRIVED  TO  TEACH  THE 
CHILDREN 

Fanchon  and  Frederic  ran  home  as  fast  as 
they  could,  shouting  as  they  went:  — 


386    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

children  climbed  the  rose-trees,  he  dragged  them 
down  by  the  legs.  Then  he  knocked  their  noses 
on  the  ground,  and  made  them  bleed.  When 
the  children  sang,  he  crammed  all  sorts  of  nasty 
stuff  down  their  throats;  for  sweet  and  happy 
singing  he  could  not  abide.  And  worst  of  all,  he 
had  a  way  of  smearing  the  sparkling  precious 
stones  of  the  palace,  and  the  lilies  and  roses,  and 
even  the  shining  rainbows,  with  a  horrible  black 
juice,  so  that  everything  beautiful  became  sor- 
rowful or  dead. 

"And  when  he  had  done  all  this,  he  gave  a 
loud  hissing  laugh,  and  said  that  everything 
was  now  as  he  wished  it  to  be.  Then,  shouting 
that  he  was  greater  than  my  mother,  he  went 
flying  up  into  the  air,  in  the  shape  of  an  enormous 
fly  with  flashing  eyes,  and  a  long  snout.  After 
which  he  went  humming  and  buzzing  around  my 
mother's  throne,  in  a  most  abominable  fashion. 

"When  the  Queen  my  mother  and  her  Elves 
saw  this,  they  knew  that  he  had  come  among 
them  under  a  false  name,  and  that  he  was  none 
other  than  Mouche,  the  gloomy  King  of  the 
Gnomes.  The  entire  Fairy  Court  thereupon 
rushed  against  him  beating  him  with  their  wings, 
while  the  Purple  Birds  seized  him  with  their 
glittering  beaks  and  gripped  him  so  tightly  that 
he  screamed  with  agony  and  rage.  After  which 
the  birds  shook  him  violently,  and  threw  him 


THE  SHINING  CHILD  387 

down  to  the  earth.  He  fell  straight  onto  the 
back  of  his  old  Aunt,  who  was  a  great  blue  toad. 
And  she  carried  him  off  to  her  hole. 

"But  five  hundred  of  the  children  in  the  Fairy 
Court  armed  themselves  with  fly-flappers,  to 
defend  themselves  against  Mouche  if  he  should 
ever  venture  to  return.  Now  after  he  was  gone, 
all  the  black  juice  disappeared,  and  everything 
became  as  shining  and  glorious  as  before. 

"So  you  see,  dear  Children,"  continued  the 
Stranger  Child,  "what  kind  of  a  creature  I  have 
to  fear.  This  horrible  Mouche  follows  me  about, 
and,  if  I  did  not  hide  myself  quickly,  he  would 
injure  me.  And  I  assure  you  that  if  I  were  to 
take  you  with  me  to  my  home,  Mouche  would 
lie  in  wait  for  us,  and  kill  us." 

Fanchon  wept  bitterly  at  the  danger  to  which 
the  Stranger  Child  was  exposed.  But  Frederic 
said:  "If  that  horrible  Mouche  is  nothing  but  a 
great  fly,  I'll  soon  hit  him  with  father's  big  fly- 
flapper!  And  if  once  I  give  him  a  good  crack  on 
his  nose,  Aunty  Blue  Toad  will  have  a  job  carry- 
ing him  to  her  hole  again!" 


HOW  TUTOR  INK  ARRIVED  TO  TEACH  THE 
CHILDREN 

Fanchon  and  Frederic  ran  home  as  fast  as 
they  could,  shouting  as  they  went:  — 


388    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

"  Oh !  the  Shining  Child  is  a  beautiful  Princess ! " 

"Oh!  the  Shining  Child  is  a  beautiful  Prince !" 

They  wanted,  in  their  delight,  to  tell  this  to 
their  parents,  but  their  father  came  to  meet 
them  with  a  most  extraordinary  man  walking 
by  his  side.  This  stranger  kept  muttering  to 
himself:  — 

"What  a  nice  pair  of  stupids  these  are!  Ah! 
Ah!" 

The  Count  took  him  by  the  hand,  and  said  to 
the  children:  "This  gentleman  is  the  tutor  whom 
your  kind  Cousin  has  sent  to  teach  you.  So  now 
shake  hands  with  him,  and  bid  him  welcome." 

But  the  children  looked  sidewise  at  him,  and 
could  move  neither  hand  nor  foot.  This  was  be- 
cause they  had  never  seen  such  an  extraordinary 
being.  He  was  no  taller  than  Frederic.  His  body 
was  round  and  bloated,  and  his  little  weazen 
legs  could  hardly  support  its  weight.  His  head 
was  queer  and  square,  and  his  face  too  ugly  for 
anything,  for  not  only  was  his  nose  long  and 
pointed,  but  his  little  bulging  eyes  glittered,  and 
his  wide  mouth  was  opened  in  a  ferocious  way. 
He  was  clad  in  black  from  top  to  toe,  and  his 
name  was  Tutor  Ink. 

Now,  as  the  children  stood  staring  like  stone 
images,  their  mother  cried  out  angrily:  "You 
rude  children,  what  are  you  thinking  of?  Come! 
come!  give  the  tutor  your  hands." 


THE  SHINING  CHILD  389 

The  children,  taking  heart,  did  as  their  mother 
bade  them.  But  as  soon  as  Tutor  Ink  took  hold 
of  their  hands,  they  jumped  back,  screaming: 
"Oh!  Oh!  It  hurts!" 

The  tutor  laughed  aloud,  and  showed  a  needle, 
which  he  had  hidden  in  his  hand  to  prick  the 
children  with.  Fanchon  was  weeping;  but  Fred- 
eric growled.  "Just  try  that  again,  little  Big- 
Body,  if  you  dare!" 

"Why  did  you  do  that,  Tutor  Ink?"  asked  the 
Count,  somewhat  annoyed. 

"Well,  it's  just  my  way!"  answered  Tutor 
Ink;  "I  can't  alter  it!"  and  with  that  he  stuck 
his  hands  to  his  sides,  and  went  on  laughing  un- 
til his  voice  sounded  like  the  noise  of  a  broken 
rattle. 

Alas!  after  that  there  was  no  more  running 
about  in  the  wood!  Instead  the  children,  day 
after  day,  had  to  sit  in  the  house,  repeating  after 
Tutor  Ink  strange  gibberish,  not  one  word  of 
which  they  could  understand. 

With  what  longing  eyes  they  looked  at  the 
wood!  Often  they  thought  they  heard,  amidst 
the  happy  songs  of  the  birds  and  the  rustling 
of  the  trees,  the  voice  of  the  Stranger  Child, 
calling,  and  calling:  "Fanchon!  Frederic!  Are 
you  not  coming  to  play  with  me?  Oh,  come!  I 
have  made  you  a  palace  all  of  flowers!  We  will 
play  there,  and  I  will  give  you  all   sorts  of 


390    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

beautiful  stones!    And  then  we'll  fly  through 
the  air,   and  build  cloud-castles!    Come!    Oh, 


come 


At  this  the  children's  thoughts  were  so  drawn 
to  the  wood,  that  they  neither  heard  nor  saw 
their  tutor  any  longer;  although  he  thumped  on 
the  table  with  both  his  fists,  and  hummed,  and 
growled,  and  snarled. 

At  last  one  day  the  Count  perceived  how  pale 
the  children  were  getting,  and  bade  Tutor  Ink 
take  them  for  a  walk.  The  Tutor  did  not  like 
the  idea  at  all.  And  the  children  did  not  like  it 
either,  saying:  — 

"What  business  has  Tutor  Ink  in  our  darling 
wood?" 


WHAT  HAPPENED  WHEN  TUTOR  INK  TOOK 
THE  CHILDREN  TO  THE  WOOD 

"Well,  Tutor  Ink,  is  it  not  delightful  here  in 
our  wood?"  asked  Frederic. 

Tutor  Ink  made  a  face,  and  muttered:  "Stu- 
pid nonsense!  All  one  does  is  to  tear  his  stock- 
ings! One  can't  hear  a  word  because  of  the 
abominable  screeching  of  the  birds ! " 

"But  surely  you  love  the  flowers?"  Fanchon 
chimed  in. 

At  this  Tutor  Ink's  face  became  a  deep  cherry- 
colour,  and  he  beat  his  hands  about  him,  crying: 


THE  SHINING  CHILD  391 

"Stupid  nonsense!  Ridiculous  nonsense!  There 
are  no  decent  flowers  in  this  wood!" 

"But  don't  you  see  those  dear  little  Lilies-of- 
the-valley  peeping  up  at  you  with  such  bright 
loving  eyes?"  asked  Fanchon. 

"What!  What!"  the  Tutor  screamed.  "Flow- 
ers! —  eyes?  —  Ha!  Ha!  —  Nice  eyes!  —  Useless 
things!"  And  with  that  he  stooped,  and  pluck- 
ing up  a  handful  of  the  lilies,  roots  and  all,  threw 
them  into  the  thicket. 

Fanchon  could  not  help  shedding  bitter  tears, 
and  Frederic  gnashed  his  teeth  in  anger.  Just 
then  a  little  Robin  alighted  on  a  branch  near 
the  Tutor's  head,  and  began  to  sing  sweetly. 
The  Tutor,  picking  up  a  stone,  threw  it,  and  the 
bird  fell  dying  to  the  ground. 

Frederic  could  restrain  himself  no  longer. 
"You  horrible  Tutor  Ink!"  he  cried,  "what  did 
the  little  bird  do  to  you,  that  you  should  strike 
it  dead?"  And  looking  toward  the  thicket,  he 
called  sadly:  "Oh!  where  are  you,  beautiful  Shin- 
ing Child?  Oh,  come!  Only  come!  Let  us  fly 
far,  far  away!  I  cannot  stay  beside  this  horrible 
creature  any  longer." 

And  Fanchon,  stretching  out  her  hands, 
sobbed  and  wept  bitterly.  "Oh,  you  darling 
Shining  Child,"  she  cried.  "Come  to  us!  Come 
to  us!  Save  us!  Save  us!  Tutor  Ink  is  killing 
us,  as  he  is  killing  the  flowers  and  birds!" 


392    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

"What  do  you  mean  by  the  Shining  Child?'5 
snarled  Tutor  Ink. 

But  at  that  instant  there  was  a  loud  whisper- 
ing, and  a  rustling,  in  the  thicket,  and  a  sound 
as  of  muffled  drums  tolling  in  the  distance.  Then 
the  children  saw,  in  a  shining  cloud  that  floated 
above  them,  the  beautiful  face  of  the  Stranger 
Child,  and  tears  like  glittering  pearls  were  roll- 
ing down  its  rosy  cheeks. 

"Ah!  darling  playmates!"  it  cried.  "I  can- 
not come  to  you  any  more!  Farewell!  Farewell! 
The  Gnome  Mouche  has  you  in  his  power!  Oh! 
you  poor  children,  good-bye!  good-bye!" 

And  then  the  Stranger  Child  soared  up  far 
into  the  clouds.  And  the  most  marvellous  thing 
happened!  Behind  the  children  there  began  a 
most  horrid,  fearsome  buzzing  and  humming, 
snarling  and  growling,  and,  lo!  Tutor  Ink  had 
changed  into  an  enormous  frightful-looking  fly. 
And  he  began  to  fly  upward  heavily,  following 
the  Stranger  Child. 

Fanchon  and  Frederic,  overpowered  with 
terror,  ran  out  of  the  wood,  and  did  not  dare  to 
look  up  at  the  sky  until  they  had  got  some  dis- 
tance away.  And,  then,  when  they  did  so,  all 
that  they  could  see,  was  a  shining  speck  in  the 
clouds,  glittering  like  a  star,  and  coming  nearer 
and  downward. 

The  star  grew  bigger  and  bigger,  and  the  chil- 


THE  SHINING  CHILD  393 

dren  could  hear,  as  if  it  were,  the  call  of  a  trum- 
pet; and  presently  they  saw  that  the  star  was 
really  a  splendid  bird  with  shining  purple  plum- 
age. It  came  dropping  down  to  the  wood,  clap- 
ping its  mighty  wings,  and  singing  loud  and 
clear. 

"Hurrah!  Hurrah!"  shouted  Frederic.  "That 
is  a  Purple  Bird  from  the  Fairy  Court!  He  will 
bite  Tutor  Ink  to  death!  The  Shining  Child  is 
saved!  —  and  so  are  we!  Come,  Fanchon,  let  us 
get  home  as  fast  as  we  can,  and  tell  our  father 
about  it." 


WHAT  THE  COUNT  DID  TO  TUTOR  INK 

The  children  burst  into  the  house  where  their 
parents  were  sitting. 

"Hurrah!  Hurrah!"  Frederic  shouted.  "The 
Purple  Bird  has  bitten  Tutor  Ink  to  death!" 

"Oh,  Father  dear,  Mother  dear!"  cried  Fan- 
chon. "Tutor  Ink  is  not  Tutor  Ink  at  all!  He  is 
really  the  wicked  Mouche,  King  of  the  Gnomes; 
a  monstrous  fly,  but  a  fly  with  clothes  and  shoes 
and  stockings  on!" 

"Who  on  earth  has  been  putting  such  nonsense 
into  your  heads?"  asked  the  Countess. 

And  the  parents  gazed  at  the  children  in  utter 
amazement,  while  they  went  on  to  tell  about  the 
Stranger  Child  whose  mother  was  a  great  Fairy 


394    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

Queen,  and  about  the  Gnome  King,  Mouche,  and 
the  Purple  Bird. 

The  Count  grew  very  grave  and  thoughtful. 
"Frederic,"  said  he,  "you  are  really  a  sensible 
boy,  and  I  must  admit  that  Tutor  Ink  has  al- 
ways seemed  to  me  a  strange  mysterious  crea- 
ture. Your  mother  and  I  are  by  no  means  sat- 
isfied with  him,  particularly  your  mother.  He 
has  such  a  terrible  sweet-tooth,  that  there's  no 
way  of  keeping  him  from  the  sugar  and  jams. 
And,  then,  he  hums  and  buzzes  in  such  a  dis- 
tressing manner.  But  in  spite  of  all  this,  my  dear 
boy,  just  think  calmly  for  a  minute.  Even  if 
there  are  such  things  as  Gnomes  in  the  world, 
do  you  really  mean  to  say  that  your  Tutor  has 
become  a  fly?" 

Frederic  looked  his  father  steadily  in  the  face 
with  his  clear  blue  eyes,  then  said:  — 

"I  should  not  have  believed  it  myself,  if  the 
Stranger  Child  had  not  said  so,  and  if  I  had  not 
seen  with  my  own  eyes  that  he  is  only  a  horrible 
fly,  and  pretends  to  be  Tutor  Ink.  And  then," 
continued  Frederic,  while  his  father  shook  his 
head  in  wonder,  "see  what  Mother  says  about 
him.  Is  he  not  ravenous  for  sweet  things?  Is 
that  not  just  like  a  fly?  And  then  his  hummings 
and  buzzings." 

"Silence,"  cried  the  Count.  "Whatever  Tutor 
Ink  is,  one  thing  is  certain,  the  Purple  Bird  has 


THE  SHINING  CHILD  395 

not  bitten  him  to  death!  for  there  he  comes  out 
of  the  wood!" 

At  this  the  children  uttered  loud  screams,  and 
rushed  behind  the  door.  In  truth,  Tutor  Ink  was 
approaching,  but  he  was  wild-looking  and  bewil- 
dered. He  was  buzzing  and  humming,  and  spring- 
ing high  in  the  air,  first  to  one  side,  then  to  the 
other,  and  banging  his  head  against  the  trees.  He 
tumbled  into  the  house,  and  dashed  at  the  milk- 
jug,  and  popped  his  head  into  it  so  that  the  milk 
ran  over  the  sides.  Then  he  gulped  and  gulped, 
making  a  horrid  noise  of  swallowing. 

"What  ails  you,  Tutor  Ink?"  cried  the  Count- 
ess. "What  are  you  about?" 

"Are  you  out  of  your  senses?  "  asked  the  Count. 
"Is  the  foul  fiend  after  you?" 

But  without  making  any  answer,  Tutor  Ink, 
taking  his  mouth  from  the  milk-jug,  threw  him- 
self down  on  the  dish  of  butter,  and  began  to 
lick  it  with  his  pointed  tongue.  Then,  with  a 
loud  buzzing,  he  sprang  off  the  table  and  began 
to  stagger  hither  and  thither  about  the  room,  as 
though  he  was  drunk. 

"This  is  pretty  behaviour!"  cried  the  Count,  as 
he  tried  to  seize  Tutor  Ink  by  the  coat  tails;  but 
Tutor  Ink  managed  to  elude  him  deftly. 

Just  then  Frederic  came  running  up  with  his 
father's  big  fly-flapper  in  his  hand,  and  gave  it 
to  the  Count,  crying:  — 


396    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

"Here  you  are,  Father!  Knock  the  terrible 
Mouche  to  death!" 

The  Count  took  the  fly-flapper;  and  then  they 
all  set  to  work  to  drive  away  Tutor  Ink.  Fan- 
chon  and  Frederic  and  their  mother  took  table 
napkins,  and  made  sweeps  with  them  in  the  air, 
driving  the  Tutor  backward  and  forward,  here 
and  there,  while  the  Count  kept  striking  at  him 
with  the  fly-flapper. 

Wilder  and  wilder  grew  the  chase.  "Hum! 
Hum! "  and  "  Sum!  Sum! "  went  the  Tutor,  storm- 
ing hither  and  thither.  "Flip  !  Flap!  "  and  "  Clip  I 
Clap!"  went  the  table  napkins  and  fly-flapper. 

At  last  the  Count  managed  to  hit  the  Tutor's 
coat  tails.  Then  just  as  the  Count  was  going  to 
strike  a  second  time,  up  bounced  the  Tutor  into 
the  air,  and,  with  renewed  strength,  stormed,  hum- 
ming and  buzzing,  out  of  the  door,  and  away 
among  the  trees. 

"Well  done!"  exclaimed  the  Count.  "We  are 
rid  of  that  abominable  Tutor  Ink!  Never  shall 
he  cross  my  threshold  again!" 

HOW  THE  NAUGHTY  PLAYTHINGS  BECAME 
ALIVE 

Fanchon  and  Frederic  now  breathed  freely  once 
more.  A  great  weight  was  taken  off  their  hearts. 
They  rejoiced  that  now,  since  the  wicked  Mouche 


THE  SHINING  CHILD  397 

was  gone,  the  Stranger  Child  might  come  back. 
They  hurried  to  the  wood.  Everything  was 
silent  and  deserted.  Not  a  merry  note  of  a  single 
bird  was  there.  Instead  of  the  joyous  singing  of 
the  brook,  and  the  gladsome  rustling  of  the  leaves, 
they  seemed  to  hear  sighs  and  moans  that  passed 
through  the  air.  Just  then,  close  behind  them, 
snarling  voices  cried  out:  — 

"Stupid  creatures!  Senseless  creatures!  You 
despised  us!  You  did  not  know  how  to  treat  us! 
We  are  come  back  to  punish  you!" 

Fanchon  and  Frederic  looked  around,  and  saw 
the  little  hunter  and  the  harper  rise  out  of  the 
thicket.  The  harper  twanged  his  tiny  harp,  while 
the  hunter  took  aim  at  Frederic;  and  both  cried 
out:  — 

"Wait,  you  boy  and  girl!  We  are  obedient 
servants  of  Tutor  Ink!  He  will  be  here  in  a  mo- 
ment, and  then  we  '11  pay  you  well  for  despising  us ! " 

Terrified,  the  children  turned  to  run  away, 
when  the  doll  rose  up  out  of  the  thicket,  and 
squeaked  out :  — 

"Stupid  creatures!  Senseless  creatures!  I  am 
an  obedient  servant  of  Tutor  Ink!  He  will  be 
here  in  a  moment,  and  then  I'll  pay  you  well 
for  despising  me!"  And  with  that  the  naughty 
creature  sent  great  splashes  of  muddy  water  fly- 
ing at  Fanchon  and  Frederic,  so  that  they  were 
quite  wet. 


398    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

Then  the  children  fell  on  their  knees  sobbing: 
"Oh,  how  unfortunate  we  are!  Will  no  one  take 
pity  on  us!" 

Scarcely  had  they  said  thus,  when  the  play- 
things disappeared.  The  rushing  of  the  brook 
turned  to  the  sweetest  music.  All  the  wood 
streamed  with  a  wonderful  sparkling  light.  And, 
lo!  the  Stranger  Child  came  forth  from  the 
thicket,  surrounded  by  such  brilliant  rays  that 
Fanchon  and  Frederic  had  to  shut  their  eyes  for 
a  minute. 

Then  they  felt  themselves  touched  gently, 
and  the  Stranger  Child's  sweet  voice  said:  — 

"Oh,  do  not  mourn  for  me,  dear  playmates! 
Though  you  will  not  see  me  again,  still  I  shall  be 
near  you.  Neither  the  wicked  Mouche  nor  any 
other  Gnome  shall  have  power  to  harm  you.  Only 
go  on  loving  me  faithfully." 

"That  we  shall!  that  we  shall!  dear  Shining 
Child!"  the  children  cried.  "We  love  you  with 
all  our  hearts!" 

And  at  last  when  they  could  open  their  eyes, 
the  Stranger  Child  had  vanished;  and  all  their 
grief  and  fear  were  gone,  too.  Delight  beamed  in 
their  eyes  and  shone  in  their  cheeks. 

And  what  the  Stranger  Child  had  said,  came 
to  pass.  Nothing  ever  harmed  Fanchon  and 
Frederic.  They  grew  up  handsome,  clever,  and 
sweet-tempered;  and  all  that  they  undertook 


THE  SHINING  CHILD  399 

prospered.  And  as  the  years  went  on,  they  still, 
in  their  dreams,  played  with  the  Stranger  Child, 
who  never  ceased  to  bring  them  the  loveliest 
things  from  its  Fairy  Home. 

Adapted 


MABEL  ON  MIDSUMMER  DAY 

A  STORY  OF  THE  OLDEN  TIME 
PART  I 

"Arise!  my  maiden,  Mabel," 
The  mother  said:  "arise! 
For  the  golden  sun  of  Midsummer 
Is  shining  in  the  skies. 

"Arise!  my  little  maiden, 

For  thou  must  speed  away, 
To  wait  upon  thy  grandmother 
This  live-long  Summer  Day. 

"And  thou  must  carry  with  thee 
This  wheaten  cake  so  fine, 
This  new-made  pat  of  butter, 
This  little  flask  of  wine. 

"And  tell  the  dear  old  body, 
This  day  I  cannot  come, 
For  the  goodman  went  out  yestermorn, 
And  he  is  not  come  home. 

"And  more  than  this,  poor  Amy 
Upon  my  knee  doth  lie; 
I  fear  me,  with  this  fever-pain 
The  little  child  will  die! 


MABEL  ON  MIDSUMMER  DAY    401 

"And  thou  canst  help  thy  grandmother; 
The  table  thou  canst  spread, 
Canst  feed  the  little  dog  and  bird, 
And  thou  canst  make  her  bed. 

"And  thou  canst  fetch  the  water 
From  the  Lady-well  hard  by, 
And  thou  canst  gather  from  the  wood 
The  fagots  brown  and  dry; 

"  Canst  go  down  to  the  lonesome  glen, 
To  milk  the  mother-ewe; 
This  is  the  work,  my  Mabel, 
That  thou  wilt  have  to  do. 

"But  listen  now,  my  Mabel: 
This  is  Midsummer  Day, 
When  all  the  Fairy  people 
From  Elfland  come  away. 

"And  when  thou  'rt  in  the  lonesome  glen, 
Keep  by  the  running  burn, 
And  do  not  pluck  the  strawberry  flower, 
Nor  break  the  lady-fern. 

"But  think  not  of  the  Fairy  folk, 
Lest  mischief  should  befall; 
Think  only  of  poor  Amy, 
And  how  thou  lov'st  us  all. 


402    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

"Yet  keep  good  heart,  my  Mabel, 
If  thou  the  Fairies  see, 
And  give  them  kindly  answer 
If  they  should  speak  to  thee. 

"And  when  into  the  fir- wood 
Thou  goest  for  fagots  brown, 
Do  not,  like  idle  children, 
Go  wandering  up  and  down; 

"But  fill  thy  little  apron, 

My  child,  with  earnest  speed; 
And  that  thou  break  no  living  bough 
Within  the  wood,  take  heed. 

"For  they  are  spiteful  Brownies 
Who  in  the  wood  abide; 
So  be  thou  careful  of  this  thing, 
Lest  evil  should  betide. 

"But  think  not,  little  Mabel, 
Whilst  thou  art  in  the  wood, 
Of  dwarfish,  wilful  Brownies, 
But  of  the  Father  good. 

"And  when  thou  goest  to  the  spring, 
To  fetch  the  water  thence, 
Do  not  disturb  the  little  stream, 
Lest  this  should  give  offence. 


MABEL  ON  MIDSUMMER  DAY    403 

"For  the  Queen  of  all  the  Fairies 
She  loves  that  water  bright; 
I've  seen  her  drinking  there,  myself, 
On  many  a  Summer  night. 

"But  she's  a  gracious  lady, 

And  her  thou  need'st  not  fear; 
Only  disturb  thou  not  the  stream, 
Nor  spill  the  water  clear." 

"Now  all  this  I  will  heed,  mother, 
Will  no  word  disobey, 
And  wait  upon  the  grandmother 
This  live-long  Summer  Day." 

PART  II 

Away  tripped  little  Mabel, 

With  the  wheaten  cake  so  fine, 

With  the  new-made  pat  of  butter, 
And  the  little  flask  of  wine. 

And  long  before  the  sun  was  hot, 
And  the  Summer  mist  had  cleared, 

Beside  the  good  old  grandmother 
The  willing  child  appeared. 

And  all  her  mother's  message 

She  told  with  right  good-will 
How  that  the  father  was  away, 

And  the  little  child  was  ill. 


404    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

And  then  she  swept  the  hearth  up  clean, 
And  then  the  table  spread, 

And  next  she  fed  the  dog  and  bird, 
And  then  she  made  the  bed. 

"And  go  now,"  said  the  grandmother, 
"Ten  paces  down  the  dell, 
And  bring  in  water  for  the  day  — 
Thou  know'st  the  Lady- well." 

The  first  time  that  good  Mabel  went, 

Nothing  at  all  saw  she, 
Except  a  bird,  a  sky-blue  bird, 

That  sat  upon  a  tree. 

The  next  time  that  good  Mabel  went, 

There  sat  a  lady  bright 
Beside  the  well,  —  a  lady  small, 

All  clothed  in  green  and  white. 

A  curtsey  low  made  Mabel, 
And  then  she  stooped  to  fill 

Her  pitcher  at  the  sparkling  spring, 
But  no  drop  did  she  spill. 

"Thou  art  a  handy  maiden," 

The  Fairy  lady  said; 
"Thou  hast  not  spilt  a  drop,  nor  yet 

The  Fairy  Spring  troubled. 


MABEL  ON  MIDSUMMER  DAY    405 

"And  for  this  thing  which  thou  hast  done, 
Yet  may'st  not  understand, 
I  give  to  thee  a  better  gift 
Than  houses  or  than  land. 

"Thou  shalt  do  well  whate'er  thou  dost, 
As  thou  hast  done  this  day  — 
Shalt  have  the  will  and  power  to  please, 
And  shalt  be  loved  alway." 

Thus  having  said,  she  passed  from  sight, 

And  naught  could  Mabel  see, 
But  the  little  bird,  the  sky-blue  bird, 

Upon  the  leafy  tree. 

part  in 

"And  now  go,"  said  the  grandmother, 
"And  fetch  in  fagots  dry; 
All  in  the  neighbouring  fir- wood, 
Beneath  the  trees  they  lie." 

Away  went  kind,  good  Mabel, 

Into  the  fir-wood  near, 
Where  all  the  ground  was  dry  and  brown, 

And  the  grass  grew  thin  and  sear. 

She  did  not  wander  up  and  down, 

Nor  yet  a  live  branch  pull, 
But  steadily  of  the  fallen  boughs 

She  picked  her  apron  full. 


406    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

And  when  the  wildwood  Brownies 

Came  sliding  to  her  mind, 
She  drove  them  thence,  as  she  was  told, 

With  home-thoughts  sweet  and  kind. 

But  all  that  while  the  Brownies 

Within  the  fir-wood  still, 
They  watched  her  how  she  picked  the  wood, 

And  strove  to  do  no  ill. 

"And  oh!  but  she  is  small  and  neat!" 
Said  one;  "'t  were  shame  to  spite 
A  creature  so  demure  and  meek, 
A  creature  harmless  quite!" 

"Look  only,"  said  another, 
"At  her  little  gown  of  blue, 
At  her  kerchief  pinned  about  her  head, 
And  at  her  little  shoe!" 

"Oh!  but  she  is  a  comely  child," 
Said  a  third;  "and  we  will  lay 
A  good-luck  penny  in  her  path, 

A  boon  for  her  this  day,  — 
Seeing  she  broke  no  living  wood, 
No  live  thing  did  affray ! " 

With  that  the  smallest  penny, 

Of  the  finest  silver  ore, 
Upon  the  dry  and  slippery  path, 

Lay  Mabel's  feet  before. 


MABEL  ON  MIDSUMMER  DAY    407 

With  joy  she  picked  the  penny  up, 

The  Fairy  penny  good; 
And  with  her  fagots  dry  and  brown 

Went  wandering  from  the  wood. 

'Now  she  has  that,"  said  the  Brownies, 
"Let  flax  be  ever  so  dear, 
'T  will  buy  her  clothes  of  the  very  best, 
For  many  and  many  a  year." 

PART  IV 

'And  go  now,"  said  the  grandmother, 
"Since  falling  is  the  dew  — 
Go  down  unto  the  lonesome  glen, 
And  milk  the  mother-ewe." 

All  down  into  the  lonesome  glen, 
Through  copses  thick  and  wild, 

Through   moist,   rank   grass,   by   trickling 
streams, 
Went  on  the  willing  child. 

And  when  she  came  to  the  lonesome  glen, 

She  kept  beside  the  burn, 
And  neither  plucked  the  strawberry-flower, 

Nor  broke  the  lady-fern. 

And  while  she  milked  the  mother-ewe 

Within  this  lonesome  glen, 
She  wished  that  little  Amy 

Were  strong  and  well  again. 


408    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

And  soon  as  she  had  thought  this  thought, 

She  heard  a  coming  sound, 
As  if  a  thousand  Fairy  folk 

Were  gathering  all  around. 

And  then  she  heard  a  little  voice,    \ 

Shrill  as  the  midge's  wing, 
That  spake  aloud:  "A  human  child 

Is  here,  yet  mark  this  thing!  — 

"The  lady-fern  is  all  unbroke, 

The  strawberry-flower  unta'en! 
What  shall  be  done  for  her  who  still 
From  mischief  can  refrain?" 

/'Give  her  a  Fairy  cake! "  said  one; 
"Grant  her  a  wish! "  said  three;  t 
"The  latest  wish  that  she  hath  wished," 
Said  all,  "whate'er  it  be!" 

Kind  Mabel  heard  the  words  they  spake, 

And  from  the  lonesome  glen 
Unto  the  good  old  grandmother 

Went  gladly  back  again. 

Thus  happened  it  to  Mabel, 

On  that  Midsummer  Day, 
And  these  three  Fairy  blessings 

She  took  with  her  away. 


MABEL  ON  MIDSUMMER  DAY    409 

'T  is  good  to  make  all  duty  sweet, 

To  be  alert  and  kind; 
Tis  good,  like  little  Mabel, 

To  have  a  willing  mind. 

Mary  Howitt 


FAREWELL!  FAREWELL!  DEAR  FAIRIES 


Oh  !  where  do  Fairies  hide  their  heads, 

When  snow  lies  on  the  hills  — 
When  frost  has  spoiled  their  mossy  beds, 

And  crystallized  their  rills  f 
Beneath  the  moon  they  cannot  trip 

In  circles  o'er  tlie  plain; 
And  draughts  of  dew  they  cannot  sip, 

Till  green  leaves  come  again. 

When  they  return  there  will  be  mirth, 

And  music  in  the  air, 
And  Fairy  wings  upon  the  earth, 

And  mischief  everywhere. 
The  maids,  to  keep  the  Elves  aloof, 

Will  bar  the  doors  in  vain; 
No  keyhole  will  be  Fairy-proof, 

When  green  leaves  come  again. 

Thomas  Haynes  Bayly 


THE  FAIRIES'  PASSAGE 


Tap,  tap,  tap,  rap!  "Get  up,  Gaffer  Ferryman." 

"Eh!  who  is  there?"  The  clock  strikes  three. 
"Get  up,  do,  Gaffer!  You  are  the  very  man 

We  have  been  long  —  long  —  longing  to  see." 
The  Ferryman  rises,  growling  and  grumbling, 
And  goes  fum-fumbling,  and  stumbling,  and  tum- 
bling, 
Over  the  wares  in  his  way  to  the  door. 
But  he  sees  no  more 
Than  he  saw  before, 
Till  a  voice  is  heard  —  "O  Ferryman,  dear! 
Here  we  are  waiting,  all  of  us  here ! 
We  are  a  wee,  wee  colony,  we; 
Some  two  hundred  in  all,  or  three. 
Ferry  us  over  the  river  Lee 
Ere  dawn  of  day, 
And  we  will  pay 
The  most  we  may, 
In  our  own  wee  way!" 

ii 

"Who  are  you?  Whence  came  you?   What  place 
are  you  going  to?" 
"Oh,  we  have  dwelt  over-long  in  this  land; 


414    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

The  people  get  cross,  and  are  growing  so  know- 
ing, too! 
Nothing  at  all  but  they  now  understand; 
We  are  daily  vanishing  under  the  thunder 
Of  some  huge  engine  or  iron  wonder; 
That  iron,  ah!  —  it  has  entered  our  souls!" 

" Your  souls?  O  gholes, 

You  queer  little  drolls ! 

Do  you  mean ?"    "Good  Gaffer,  do  aid  us 

with  speed, 
For  our  time,  like  our  stature,  is  short  indeed ! 
And  a  very  long  way  we  have  to  go, 
Eight  or  ten  thousand  miles  or  so, 
Hither  and  thither,  and  to  and  fro; 
With  our  pots  and  pans, 
And  little  gold  cans; 
But  our  light  caravans 
Run  swifter  than  man's!" 

in 

"Well,  well,  you  may  come!"  said  the  Ferryman, 
affably; 
"Patrick,  turn  out,  and  get  ready  the  barge!" 
Then  again  to  the  Little  Folk  —  "Though  you 
seem  laughably 
Small,  I  don't  mind,  if  your  coppers  be  large." 
Oh,  dear!  what  a  rushing,  what  pushing,  what 

crushing 
(The  watermen  making  vain  efforts  at  hushing 


THE  FAIRIES'  PASSAGE  415 

The  hubbub  the  while)  there  followed  these  words ! 

What  clapping  of  boards ! 

What  strapping  of  cords! 
What  stowing  away  of  children  and  wives, 
And  platters,  and  mugs,  and  spoons,  and  knives! 
Till  all  had  safely  got  into  the  boat, 
And  the  Ferryman,  clad  in  his  tip-top  coat, 
And  his  wee  little  Fairies  were  safely  afloat! 

Then  ding!  ding!  ding! 

And  kling!  kling!  kling! 

How  the  coppers  did  ring 

In  the  tin  pitcherling! 

IV 

Off,  then,  went  the  boat,  at  first  very  pleasantly, 

Smoothly,  and  so  forth;  but  after  a  while 
It  swayed  and  it  swagged  this  and  that  way,  and 
presently 
Chest  after  chest,  and  pile  after  pile, 
Of  the  Little  Folks'  goods  began  tossing  and 

rolling, 
And  pitching  like  fun,  beyond  Fairy  controlling! 
O  Mab !  if  the  hubbub  were  great  before, 
It  was   now  some  two  or  three   million  times 

more; 
Crash!  went  the  wee  crocks,  and  the  clocks,  and 
the  locks 
Of  each  little  wee  box  were  stove  in  by  hard 
knocks; 


416    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

And  then  there  were  oaths,  and  prayers,  and 

cries  — 
"Take  care!"  — "See  there!"  — "Oh,  dear!  my 

eyes!" 
"I    am    killed!"  — "I    am    drowned!" —  with 
groans  and  sighs; 

Till  to  land  they  drew; 
"Yeo-ho!  Pull  to! 
Tiller-rope,  thro'  and  thro'!" 
And  all 's  right  anew. 


"Now,  jump  upon  shore,  ye  queer  little  oddities, 
Eh!  what   is  this?  —  Where  are  they,   at 
all? 
Where  are  they,  and  where  are  their  tiny  com- 
modities? 
Well!  as  I  live!"  He  looks  blank  as  a  wall, 
Poor  Ferryman !  Round  him,  and  round  him 

he  gazes, 
But  only  gets  deeplier  lost  in  the  mazes 
Of  utter  bewilderment !  All,  all  are  gone  — 
And  he  stands  alone, 
Like  a  statue  of  stone, 
In  a  doldrum  of  wonder.  He  turns  to  steer, 
And  a  tinkling  laugh  salutes  his  ear 
With  other  odd  sounds  —  "Ha!  ha!  ha!  ha! 
Fol,  lol;  zidziddel — quee,  quee — bah!  bah! 
Fizzigig  —  giggidy!  phsee!  sha!  sha!" 


THE  FAIRIES'  PASSAGE,         417 

"O  ye  thieves,  ye  thieves!  ye  rascally  thieves!" 
The  good  man  cries.  He  turns  to  his  pitcher, 
And  there,  alas !  to  his  horror  perceives, 

That  the  Little  Folks'  mode  of  making  him 
richer 
Has  been  to  pay  him  with  —  withered  leaves. 

James  Clarence  Mangan 


OLD  WINTER'S  FAIRYLAND 

TO  WINTER 

Sooth  't  is,  old  Friend, 

Thou  banishest 

The  golden  rest 

Of  the  hours; 

Dost  cruelly  send 

The  birds  off,  and 

The  twinkling  band 

Of  the  flowers; 

Dost  lash  the  shadows  out  of  the  woods, 

And  kill  the  souls  in  the  plunging  floods. 

Thou  chillest  the  green, 

And  it  departs 

Into  the  hearts 

Of  the  meas, 

And  dreams  of  sheen, 

Grasses  and  leaves, 

Blossoms  and  sheaves, 

And  of  trees; 

Thou  foldest  all  colours  up  in  mould, 

And  touchest  the  aching  light  with  cold. 

There  is  no  gloom 
Of  vanished  wold, 
Inlaid  with  gold, 


OLD  WINTER'S  FAIRYLAND        419 

But  glens, 

And  heights  in  bloom, 

And  shadowing  woods, 

And  tumbling  floods, 

And  plains, 

Of  Summer  in  the  core  of  the  world, 

And  golden  skies  are  there  unfurled. 

The  Fairies  keep 

A  revel  there, 

And  banish  care 

With  mirth; 

When  snows  are  deep, 

And  woods  are  cross, 

Enjoy  our  loss 

In  the  Earth; 

The  leaves  and  grass  and  water-springs, 

The  glorious  world  with  its  living  things, 

Each  happy  thought  that  goes  on  wings, 

And  sings, 

Or  thinks  itself  in  blossomings 

Of  red  and  gold, 

All  bless  the  cold, 

That  ruleth  with  an  iron  hand 

To  build  in  the  Earth  a  Fairyland. 

At  Christmas  tide, 
On  country  farms 
In  games  and  charms 


420    BOOK  OF  ELVES  AND  FAIRIES 

Thou  thrivest; 

By  deep  hearth  side, 

When  tales  are  told 

And  songs  are  trolled, 

As  through  the  mould 

Thou  drivest 

The  shuddering  flowers,  thou  dost  begin 

To  gather  us  up,  and  drive  us  in. 

For  all,  whom  care 

Or  labour  drew 

From  old  to  new 

In  the  year, 

Thou  dost  prepare 

The  roaring  hearth, 

And  garrulous  mirth, 

And  beer 

In  massy  cans,  to  season  it, 

Nut-brown  and  livelier  than  thy  wit. 

The  Yule  log  sends 

Its  light  abroad 

O'er  roof  and  board; 

And  cheerily 

In  shade  ascends 

The  cricket's  song; 

The  winds  are  strong, 

And  drearily 

Shrill  past  the  rattling  window  panes,  and  down 

The  wide-mouthed  chimney  shriek  and  moan. 


OLD  WINTER'S  FAIRYLAND      421 

The  hinds  drop  in 

From  fold  and  pen, 

And  graver  men 

From  labours; 

And  maids  who  spin 

And  catch  perchance 

With  smile  and  glance 

Their  neighbours; 

The  dame  is  there,  and  reverend  sire, 

And  children  clustering  round  the  fire. 

They  quaff  their  ale, 

Their  pipes  they  fill, 

And  he,  who  has  skill 

In  numbers, 

Prolongs  the  tale; 

The  wheel  goes  round 

With  a  drowsy  sound 

And  slumbers. 

The  humming  stoup  goes  round  and  round, 

Till  their  heads  go  round,  as  the  wheel  goes  round; 

And  sleep  and  silence  go  their  round. 

And  the  Fairy  Summer  underground 

Blooms  all  night  long  in 

Sleep  till  morning, 

Buds  and  blossoms,  without  a  sound. 

Anonymous 

THE  END 


SUBJECT  INDEX  FOR  STORY-TELLERS 


SUBJECT  INDEX  FOR  STORY-TELLERS 

Animal  Friends:  Judy  and  the  Fairy  Cat,  103;  Kintaro,  161;  Little 
,    Tiny,  319. 

Bears:  Kintaro,  161. 

Birds:  Butterfly's  Diamond,  304;  Kintaro,  161;  Little  Tiny,  319; 
Shining  Child,  361. 

Boggarts:  The  Boggart,  105. 

Bottle  Imps:  Legend  of  Bottle  Hill,  44. 

Brothers  and  Sisters:  Blanche  and  Rose,  258;  Immortal  Foun- 
tain, 337;  Mabel  on  Midsummer  Day,  400;  Shining  Child,  361; 
The  Pixies,  138. 

Brownies:  Brownie  of  Blednoch,  142;  Mabel  on  Midsummer  Day, 
400. 

Camelias:  Flower  Fairies,  166. 

Cats:  Judy  and  the  Fairy  Cat,  103. 

Caves:  Echo  the  Cave  Fairy,  179;  Knockers'  Diamonds,  77. 

Christmas:  Elsa  and  the  Ten  Elves,  145;  Old  Winter's  Fairyland, 
418;  One-Eyed  Prying  Joan's  Tale,  121. 

Clover:  The  Four-Leaved  Clover,  172. 

Conscience:  Timothy  Tuttle  and  the  Little  Imps,  290. 

Coral:  Butterfly's  Diamond,  304;  Isles  of  the  Sea  Fairies,  182. 

Courageous  Adventures:  Brown  Dwarf,  53;  Milk-White  Calf,  20; 
Sleeping  Beauty,  231;  The  Smith  and  the  Fairies,  194. 

Cows:  Curmudgeon's  Skin,  97;  Legend  of  Bottle  Hill,  44;  Milk- 
White  Calf,  20;  The  Four-Leaved  Clover,  172. 

Crocks  of  Gold.  See  Treasure  Stories. 

Cruelty:  Bad  Boy  and  the  Leprechaun,  70;  Prince  Cheri,  239. 

Curiosity:  Curmudgeon's  Skin,  97;  How  Peeping  Kate  was  Piskey- 
Led,  111;  One-Eyed  Prying  Joan's  Tale,  121;  Piskey  Fine! 
149. 

Dances  of  Fahiies.  See  Fairy  Rings. 

Deer:  Kintaro,  161. 

Diamonds:  Butterfly's  Diamond,  304;  Knockers'  Diamonds,  77; 

Toads  and  Diamonds,  255. 
Disobedience.  See  Obedience  and  Disobedience. 


426  SUBJECT  INDEX 

Dogs:  Fairy's  Servants,  133. 

Duty:  Elsa  and  the  Ten  Elves,  145;  Fairy's  Servants,  133;  Mabel  on 
Midsummer  Day,  400;  The  Pixies,  138. 

Echo:  Echo  the  Cave  Fairy,  179. 
Elfinland.  See  Fairyland. 

Fairy  Children:  Coal-Black  Steed,  198;  Little  Niebla,  312;  Little 
Tiny,  319;  Magic  Ferns,  189;  Ownself,  107;  Skillywidden,  79;  The 
Tomts,  155. 

Fairy  Gold.  See  Treasure  Stories. 

Fairyland:  At  the  Court  of  Fairyland,  209;  Coal-Black  Steed,  198; 
But  we  that  Live  in  Fairyland,  188;  Elidore,  206;  Fairy's  Serv- 
ants, 133;  Girl  who  Danced  with  the  Fairies,  203;  Girl  who  was 
Stolen  by  the  Fairies,  201;  Magic  Ferns,  189;  Shining  Child,  361; 
Old  Winter's  Fairyland,  418. 

Fairy  Rings:  Adventures  of  Robin  Goodfellow,  9;  Dance  of  the 
Fairies,  32;  Girl  who  Danced  with  the  Fairies,  203;  How  Peeping 
Kate  was  Piskey-Led,  111;  In  the  Glowing  Light  of  a  Summer 
Sky,  8;  Milk-White  Calf,  20;  Potato  Supper,  15;  Wood-Lady, 
26. 

Farm  Stories:  Blanche  and  Rose,  258;  Brownie  of  Blednoch,  142; 
Elsa  and  the  Ten  Elves,  145;  Old  Winter's  Fairyland,  418;  Piskey 
Fine!  149;  The  Four-Leaved  Clover,  172;  The  Tomts,  155. 

Ferns:  Magic  Ferns,  189.   . 

Field  Mice:  Little  Tiny,  319. 

Fish:  How  Kahukura  Learned  to  Make  Nets,  176;  Potato  Supper, 
15. 

Flies:  Shining  Child,  361. 

Flowers:  Fairy  Island,  169;  Flower  Fairies,  166;  Little  Tiny,  319; 
One-Eyed  Prying  Joan's  Tale,  121;  Shining  Child,  361. 

Forests.  See  Woods  and  Forests. 

Foxes:  Little  Niebla,  312. 

Friends  and  Helpers:  At  the  Court  of  Fairyland,  209;  Brownie  of 
Blednoch,  142;  Elsa  and  the  Ten  Elves,  145;  Fairy  Wedding,  151; 
Gillie  Dhu,  174;  Piskey  Fine!  149;  Shining  Child,  361;  Sick-Bed 

"  Elves,  109;  The  Pixies,  138;  The  Tomts,  155. 

Generous  and  Ungenerous:  Blanche  and  Rose,  258;  Tom  and  the 

Knockers,  73. 
Glass  Slippers:  Cinderella,  221. 
Gnomes:  Shining  Child,  361. 
Goblins:  Greedy  Old  Man,  39. 


SUBJECT  INDEX  427 

Gourmandizing:  Fairy  Do-Nothing,  281. 

Grains:  Song  of  the  Elfin  Miller,  157;  The  Tomts,  155. 

Greed.  See  Selfishness  and  Greed. 

Hallowe'en:  Girl  who  Danced  with  the  Fairies,  203;  How  Peep- 
ing Kate  was  Piskey-Led,  111;  Judy  and  the  Fairy  Cat,  103; 
Milk-White  Calf,  20. 

Hill  Stories:  Brown  Dwarf,  53;  Elidore,  206;  Greedy  Old  Man, 
39;  Legend  of  Bottle  Hill,  44;  Milk-White  Calf,  20;  Monday! 
Tuesday!  35;  The  Smith  and  the  Fairies,  194;  'T  is  the  Midnight 

^Hour,  34. 

Horses:  Coal-Black  Steed,  198. 

Hospitality:  Blanche  and  Rose,  258;  Childe  Charity,  348. 

Humorous  Stories:  Curmudgeon's  Skin,  97;  Fairy's  Servants, 
133;  Little  Redcap,  91;  Milk-White  Calf,  20;  Monday!  Tues- 
day! 35;  Ownself,  107;  The  Boggart,  105;  The  Ragweed,  66. 

Impoliteness.  See  Politeness  and  Impoliteness. 

Imps:  Coal-Black  Steed,  198;  Timothy  Tuttle  and  the  Little  Imps, 

290.         ' 
Industry:   Butterfly's  Diamond,  304;  Elsa  and  the  Ten  Elves, 

145. 

Kelpies:  Come!  Come!  3. 

Kindness  and  Goodness:  Blanche  and  Rose,  258;  Childe  Charity, 

348;  Cinderella,  221;  Fairy  Wedding,  151;  Immortal  Fountain, 

337;  Mabel  on  Midsummer  Day,  400;  Toads  and  Diamonds,  255. 
King  of  the  Fairies:  Adventures  of  Robin  Goodfellow,  9;  At  the 

Court  of  Fairyland,  209;  Come!  Come!  3;  Elidore,  206;  Magic 

Ferns,  189. 
Knockers:  Come!  Come!  3;  Knockers'  Diamonds,  77;  Tom  and  the 

Knockers,  73. 

Laziness:  Butterfly's  Diamond,  304;  Elsa  and  the  Ten  Elves,  145; 

Fairy  Do-Nothing,  281;  The  Pixies,  138. 
Leprechauns:  Bad  Boy  and  the  Leprechaun,  70;  Boy  who  Found 

the  Pots  of  Gold,  63;  Come!  Come!  3;  The  Leprechaun,  84;  The 

Ragweed,  66. 

,  Mab.  See  Queen  of  the  Fairies. 
Magic  Gifts:  Enchanted  Watch,  264;  Legend  of  Bottle  Hill,  44; 
,   Little  Redcap,  91;  Prince  Cheri,  239;  Toads  and  Diamonds,  255; 
Wood-Lady,  26. 


428  SUBJECT  INDEX 

Mat  Day:  Flower  Fairies,  166;  Girl  who  Danced  with  the  Fairies. 
203;  Kintaro,  161;  The  Four-Leaved  Clover,  172. 

Mice:  LittlejTiny,  319. 

Midsummer  Day:  Mabel  on  Midsummer  Day,  400. 

Mines  and  Miners:  Knockers'  Diamonds,  77;  Tom  and  the  Knock- 
ers, 73. 

Moles:  Little  Tiny,  319. 

Naughtiness:  Butterfly's  Diamond,  304;  Fairy  Do-Nothing,  281. 

Obedience  and  Disobedience:  Mabel  on  Midsummer  Day,  400; 

Skillywidden,  79;  Wood-Lady,  26. 
Oberon.  See  King  of  the  Fairies. 
Ointment,  Fairy:  Coal-Black  Steed,  198;  One-Eyed  Prying  Joan's 

Tale,  121. 

Peonies:  Flower  Fairies,  166. 

Perseverance:   Butterfly's  Diamond,  304;  Immortal  Fountain, 

337. 
Piskeys:  Come!  Come!  3;  How  Peeping  Kate  was  Piskey-Led,  111 ; 

Piskey  Fine!  149. 
Pixies:  The  Pixies,  138. 
Politeness  and  Impoliteness:  Monday!  Tuesday!  35;  The  Tomts, 

155;  Toads  and  Diamonds,  255;  Tom  and  the  Knockers,  73. 
Potatoes:  Potato  Supper,  15. 
Pots  op  Gold.  See  Treasure  Storues. 
Promptness:  Enchanted  Watch,  264. 
Prying:  How  Peeping  Kate  was  Piskey-Led,  111;  One-Eyed  Prying 

Joan's  Tale,  121. 

Queen  of  the  Fairies:  At  the  Court  of  Fairyland,  209;  Butterfly's 
Diamond,  304;  Come!  Come!  3;  Dance  of  the  Fairies,  32;  Im- 
mortal Fountain,  337;  Mabel  on  Midsummer  Day,  400;  Milk- 

!    White  Calf,  20;  Queen  Mab,  276;  Shining  Child,  361. 

Ragweeds:  The  Ragweed,  66. 

Redcaps:  Curmudgeon's  Skin,  97;  Little  Redcap,  91;  The  Fairy 

Folk,  128. 
Retribution:  Bad  Boy  and  the  Leprechaun,  70;  Blanche  and  Rose, 

258;  Coal-Black  Steed,  198;  Elidore,  206;  Enchanted  Watch,  264; 

Fairy  Do-Nothing,  281;  Fairy  Island,  169;  Greedy  Old  Man,  39; 

How  Peeping  Kate  was  Piskey-Led,  111;  One-eyed  Prying  Joan's 


SUBJECT  INDEX  429 

Tale,  121;  Prince  Cheri,  239;  The  Pixies,  138;  Toads  and  Dia- 
monds, 255;  Tom  and  the  Knockers,  73. 

Rewaeds  of  Goodness:  Blanche  and  Rose,  258;  Childe  Charity, 
348;  Fairy's  Servants,  133;  Immortal  Fountain,  337;  Judy  and  the 
Fairy  Cat,  103;  Knockers'  Diamonds,  77;  Mabel  on  Midsummer 
Day,  400;  The  Pixies,  138;  Toads  and  Diamonds,  255. 

Robin  Goodfellow:  Adventures  of  Robin  Goodfellow,  9;  At  the 
Court  of  Fairyland,  209;  Their  Dwellings  be,  132. 

Salmon:  Potato  Supper,  15. 

Sea  Fairies.  See  Water  Fairies. 

Selfishness:  Bad  Boy  and  the  Leprechaun,  70;  Blanche  and  Rose, 
258;  Enchanted  Watch,  264;  Fairy  Do-Nothing,  281;  Greedy  Old 
Man,  39;  Timothy  Tuttle,  290;  Tom  and  the  Knockers,  73. 

Shamrocks:  Curmudgeon's  Skin,  97. 

Shoemakers.  See  Leprechauns. 

Spriggans:  Come!  Come!  3;  Greedy  Old  Man,  39;  How  Peeping 
Kate  was  Piskey-Led,  111;  One-Eyed  Prying  Joan's  Tale,  121; 
Skillywidden,  79. 

Springs  and  Wells:  Girl  who  Danced  with  the  Fairies,  203;  Im- 
mortal Fountain,  337;  Mabel  on  Midsummer  Day,  400. 

Stealing:  Elidore,  206;  Fairy  Island,  169;  Greedy  Old  Man,  39; 
How  Peeping  Kate  was  Piskey-Led,  111. 

Swallows:  Little  Tiny,  319. 

Tardiness:  Enchanted  Watch,  264. 

Tengus:  Kintaro,  161. 

Threshing:  Brownie  of  Blednoch,  142;  How  Peeping  Kate  was  Pis- 
key-Led, 111;  Piskey  Fine!  149;  The  Tomts,  155. 

Thrift:  Elsa  and  the  Ten  Elves,  145. 

Tin  Mines:  Knockers'  Diamonds,  77;  Tom  and  the  Knock- 
ers, 73. 

Toads:  Little  Tiny,  319;  Toads  and  Diamonds,  255. 

Tom  Thumb:  Adventures  of  Robin  Goodfellow,  9. 

Tomts:  Fairy  Wedding,  151;  The  Tomts,  155. 

Treasure  Stories:  And  will  you  Come  Away!  62;  Bad  Boy  and 
the  Leprechaun,  70;  Boy  who  Found  the  Pots  of  Gold,  63;  Eli- 
dore, 206;  Greedy  Old  Man,  39;  Skillywidden,  79;  The  Lepre- 
chaun, 84;  The  Ragweed,  66. 

Trees:  Shining  Child,  361. 

Tyranny:  Prince  Cheri,  239. 

Ungenerous.  See  Generous  and  Ungenerous. 


430  SUBJECT  INDEX 

Wages,  Fairy:  Adventures  of  Robin  Goodfellow,  9;  Brownie  of 
Blednoch,  142;  Fairy's  Servants,  133;  Piskey  Fine!  149;  The  Fair- 
ies' Passage,  413. 

Water  Fairies:  Butterfly's  Diamond,  304;  Come!  Come!  3;  Fairy 
Island,  169;  How  Kahukura  Learned  to  Make  Nets,  176;  Isles  of 
the  Sea  Fairies,  182;  Little  Niebla,  312. 

Winter  :  Little  Tiny,  319 ;  Old  Winter's  Fairyland,  418. 

Woods  and  Forests:  Gillie  Dhu,  174;  Kintaro,  161;  Shining  Child, 
361;  Sleeping  Beauty,  231;  Wood-Lady,  26. 


K? 


V 


